Iggy with a bandaged wing. Photography by Suzanne Shoemaker.

“Iggy,” an adult male bald eagle was rescued from entanglement in an electric wire fence on a farm in Accokeek, MD on January 16th.  The wire snared him between feathers of his right wing at the “elbow”. His ensuing struggle to free himself caused severe wounding of that wing. Sadly, despite intensive wound care over several weeks, the wing could not be saved. Circulation to the tip was compromised; therefore the wing required amputation near the elbow.  After recovering from surgery, Iggy was transferred to the Salisbury Zoo in Salisbury, MD, where he now resides with another adult male bald eagle in a large enclosure. He is well fed and cared for, and latest reports are that the two are getting along famously. Iggy’s life will now serve to educate people about bald eagles and the hazards they face.