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Bald eagle released near Houston after three months of medical care following injury

Houston Public Media News 88.7 | By Kyle McClenagan

Published June 19, 2026 at 4:21 PM CDT

The Houston SPCA releases a blad eagle after treating the animal for several months.

The Houston SPCA releases a blad eagle after treating the animal for several months. June 18, 2026.

The Houston SPCA releases a bald eagle after treating the animal for several months. June 18, 2026.

A bald eagle in the Houston area was reintroduced into the wild Thursday after it was treated for several months because of an injury.

The eagle arrived at the Houston SPCA's Wildlife Center on March 20 after it was found near the Jocelyn Nungaray National Wildlife Refuge in Anahuac, about 50 miles east of Houston, according to the organization. The eagle had sustained a traumatic head injury and would not have been able to survive on its own. According to the SPCA, the cause of the injury is unknown, but it could have resulted from a vehicle striking the eagle.

"Releasing a bald eagle is always a special moment," Brooke Yahney, the director of the Houston SPCA Wildlife Center, said in a statement. "It represents months of dedicated care by our veterinary and wildlife rehabilitation teams and reflects Houston SPCA's commitment to giving injured native wildlife a second chance."

Members of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service — the department that discovered the injured eagle — were in attendance Thursday when the bird was released back into his natural habitat.

The three months of care included anti-inflammatory medicine, supervised kennel rest to heal the wounds and physical therapy at the center's indoor flight complex, according to the SPCA.

"It is incredibly rewarding for a magnificent bird like this [to] return to his natural habitat healthy and strong," Yahney said.

The Houston SPCA releases a bald eagle after treating the animal for several months.

According to theU.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the bald eagle was in danger of extinction during the mid-1900s due to habitat destruction and degradation, illegal shooting and food source contamination.

Following decades-long efforts to save the species — which has been the United States’ national symbol since the late 1700s — the bald eagle population recovered enough that by 1995 it was reclassified to a less critical category, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

As of 2019, it was estimated there were over 316,000 bald eagles in the U.S., including 71,467 breeding pairs.

Bald eagles are not the only species the Houston SPCA Wildlife Center treats. According to the organization, the center treats more than 17,000 wild animals each year.