ORLANDO, Fla. – A rescued bald eagle that captured the nation’s attention died Monday night, the Audubon Center for Birds of Prey said.
“Our team, along with Dr. Robert Hess and the staff at the Winter Park Veterinary Hospital made every attempt to save this beautiful bird,” said Katie Warner, director of the Audubon Center for Birds of Prey.
The eagle was taken to the Audubon Center for Birds of Prey after being rescued from a storm drain on Goldenrod Road last week after it was fighting with another eagle over territory. The first eagle flew away and the second was removed by firefighters and taken to the center.
“We’re going to continue educating the community on why we must conserve Florida’s environment to help prevent the loss of our nation’s symbol of freedom. We’d like to thank the community for the outpouring of support," Warner said.
Over the weekend, the eagle's condition started to decline and showed signs of paralysis and its blood values dropped, the center said.
On Monday, the eagle was placed in critical condition, but died that night.