Injured Bald Eagle Rescued on Metro Blue Line
WMATA Photo
Metro Transit Police, in a joint effort with the Raptor Conservancy of Virginia (RCV) and Alexandria Animal Control, successfully rescued an injured American bald eagle this afternoon near Van Dorn Street Station on the Blue Line.
The operation began shortly before 2 p.m. Saturday, when Metro Transit Police received a call from RCV reporting the injured eagle adjacent to Metro’s Blue Line track. RCV had been monitoring the eagle for about two days following a call earlier in the week from a concerned citizen reporting its location.
An inspection of the area was conducted, and Metro Transit Police located the eagle inside the track fence about 300 yards east of Van Dorn Street Station — behind the 5300 block of Eisenhower Avenue. Metro Transit Police called upon Alexandria Animal Control and the Raptor Conservancy of Virginia for assistance.
With no roadways to provide access to the injured eagle, MTPD officers and animal rescue personnel gathered at King Street Station, where they boarded an out-of-service Metro train to access the location. Scheduled Blue Line rail service was single-tracked around the rescue train with minor delays.
The eagle was stabilized at the scene and transported to the RCV facility in Falls Church around 5 p.m. where it is receiving care. The eagle is believed to have sustained a broken wing. It is not known what caused the injury.
The American bald eagle is a protected species under Migratory Bird Treaty Act and the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act.
The Raptor Conservancy of Virginia is a nonprofit volunteer organization that rehabilitates and releases injured, ill or orphaned native Va. birds of prey. Trained and experienced RCV volunteers handle emergency treatment of injured raptors, recuperative care, administration of medications, feeding, conditioning and release. RCV raptor rehabilitation is done in close consultation with two highly qualified veterinarians who perform surgery, take x-rays, prescribe medications, and perform prerelease physicals for raptor patients. For more information about RCV, please visit their website.
Rescuers work with injured eagle (WMATA Photo)
