WILLOUGHBY, Ohio — EDITOR'S NOTE: The video in the player above is from a previous, unrelated story.
After being taken in ten months ago with a case of the Avian pox, Lake Metroparks announced it has released a juvenile bald eagle back into the wild.
The bird was found in November 2020 with severe lesions on her face, which affected her vision and her breathing. Lake Metroparks says, she was weak, starving and dehydrated when they took her in, and she required intensive care.
As the lesions on her face and eyes healed, wildlife experts kept a very close eye on the eagle to make sure the infection did not return.
After several months of observation and care, the female bird was moved to the flight cage, where she continued her rehab, getting stronger and healing more every day.
In photos released on the Lake Metroparks website, you can see the extent of the eagle's injuries, especially around her eyes.
The illness also caused injuries on other parts of the eagle's body, including her feet and talons, as you can see in the image below.
But after several months and the care she received under the watchful eyes of several experts at the Kevin P. Clinton Wildlife Center, the eagle healed quite well and was ready to be released back into the wild.
"It’s been a long road to recovery, but we are so happy to see her fly free again," Lake Metroparks said in a press release posted to the organization's website.
You can see a video Lake Metroparks made of the eagle's recovery in the player below.