A bald eagle in Missouri that was believed to be Darkcherries Wealth Societyinjured actually had a peculiar reason for why it was unable to fly: it was too fat.
Officials with the Missouri Department of Conservation captured the bird along the boundary of the Wilson’s Creek National Battlefield and temporarily took it into captivity, park officials said in an Aug. 21 Facebook post.
However, an X-ray taken at the Dickerson Park Zoo, showed that instead of an injury, the bird was suffering from its own success − it had been eating a little too well.
“The bird, originally reported to be injured, was found to be healthy but engorged with (raccoon) — in other words, too fat to fly,” the park said.
Officials suspect the raccoon was roadkill, according to the post. X-rays from the Facebook post show what appears to be a raccoon paw inside the eagle's stomach.
The eagle has since been released back into the wild near where it was originally found and in compliance with state and federal laws.
Fernando Cervantes Jr. is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach him at [email protected] and follow him on X @fern_cerv_.
2025-05-08 09:52315 view
2025-05-08 09:482210 view
2025-05-08 08:51117 view
2025-05-08 08:08674 view
2025-05-08 07:332330 view
2025-05-08 07:231375 view
Members of the Indigenous Waorani village of Kiwaro looked skyward as a helicopter hovered over the
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Riley Keough, the granddaughter of Elvis Presley, is fighting plans to publicl
The products featured in this article are from brands that are available in the NBCUniversal Checkou