ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. – After being hit by a car in September, a bald eagle is spreading her wings and returning to the Florida sky thanks to the love and care she received at the Audubon Center for Birds of Prey.
Four months ago, a bald eagle was hit and injured by a car on a highway in Orange County. Unable to fly, she was rescued and quickly taken to the center's Raptor Trauma Clinic to receive treatment for her injured shoulder.
Recommended Videos
Four weeks later, she was moved to the center's Magic of Flight Barn to prepare for her release back into the wild.
"Our best days at the Center for Birds of Prey is to be able to release a bird back into the wild. It's always extra special to release a bald eagle," said Katie Warner, the program manager for Audubon Center for Birds of Prey.
When they removed her blindfold, she quickly glanced up into the sky and was ready to soar.
"They hydrated her, put cream on her pads, iced her talons to cool her off. I think this is her best day of her life," Attorney General Pam Bondi said.
Along with being a patriotic symbol for the nation, the bald eagle labeled No. 733-15 is now one of the many bald eagles representing the success in the conservation and rehabilitation of the creatures.
"This is our nation's symbol. There's not much that can be better than that. We really work hard and to have a positive message to send everybody is a great privilege," Warner said.
This release marks 525 eagles that have gone through the center since it first began in 1978.