Officer Goes On Unusual Call And Ends Up Saving A Life

She was just doing her civic duty.

Yesterday morning in Gaithersburg, Maryland, the Montgomery County Police Department's emergency communications center received a call about an injured bald eagle in the woods, unable to fly and in need of help. That was when Jennifer Gill, an animal services division officer, went to the scene.

The first thing Gill did upon arrival was wrap the female bird in towels. Then, with the help of a Maryland Department of Natural Resources official, she placed the eagle in a carrier and transported her to the Owl Moon Raptor Center for further care.

"She's looking brighter this morning," Suzanne Shoemaker, founder and director of the Owl Moon Raptor Center, told The Dodo. "She's on her feet and she's alert. We'll see how she continues to recover. We're optimistic."An examination revealed the eagle had some internal bleeding and an injury on her left shoulder, the center wrote in a recent Facebook post. "We are providing supportive care and medications to reduce pain and inflammation. We will bring her to Bennett Creek Animal Hospital for X-rays when she is stable and stronger."The raptor center believes that Trust was likely hit by a car while feeding on deer caracass.

"She's looking brighter this morning," Suzanne Shoemaker, founder and director of the Owl Moon Raptor Center, told The Dodo. "She's on her feet and she's alert. We'll see how she continues to recover. We're optimistic."

An examination revealed the eagle had some internal bleeding and an injury on her left shoulder, the center wrote in a recent Facebook post. "We are providing supportive care and medications to reduce pain and inflammation. We will bring her to Bennett Creek Animal Hospital for X-rays when she is stable and stronger."

Shoemaker says a trip to the vet on Saturday should hopefully provide more details on the full extent of her injuries. One potential contributing factor to Trust's injuries may be lead poisoning from eating deer riddled with lead bullets from hunting, which is common for eagles this time of year. Lead in an eagle's system acts like a neurotoxin, slowing down their reaction time and making them more likely to get hit by cars. A test will reveal if Trust has lead in her system or not.

Luckily, help came for her just when she needed it most.

We hope Trust makes it back to full health and can be released back into the wild soon.

Help the Owl Moon Raptor Center continue its work of rehabilitating birds of prey by making a donation here.