Our nation’s symbol, destroyed by our garbage. We are killing majestic creatures and ruining the planet. Our friends at Wildlife Center of Virginia received this beautiful Bald Eaglet. Given the severity of the eagle’s injury and its poor condition the bird was humanely euthanized. During a necropsy, foreign objects were extracted from the eagle’s ventriculus. The items included: two latex balloons, several pieces of cardboard/paper, an aluminum soda can tab, a thumbtack, plastic particles, plastic wrapper material, and one more unidentifiable item.
Eagles are scavengers. The young bird may have eaten the trash directly, or may have eaten another animal that had ingested the trash. Either way, losing this magnificent animal is a sad reminder of why we should never release balloons and always be mindful of the trash we generate. Our trash can be deadly no matter where it ends up.
