COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) - A recovered bald eagle gets his freedom back on Independence Day.
The eagle, named Einstein, came to the University of Missouri's Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital in April after a Missouri Department of Conservation agent found him struggling near Macon, said Tracey Berry, spokeswoman for the College of Veterinary Medicine.
The Columbia Daily Tribune reported that the bird was disoriented and was discharging a foul-smelling liquid from his mouth. Tests revealed he had toxic levels of lead in his body, probably because fish he ate had consumed lead.
Elizabeth Groth, a third-year veterinary student and president of the university's Raptor Rehabilitation Project, said she initially didn't think the eagle was going to survive because he couldn't stand or hold up his head.
The lead toxicity led to neurological problems that prevented Einstein from hunting and eating in the wild.
After veterinarians pumped his digestive tract and flushed it with water for several days, they put him on a protein-packed liquid diet before giving him small amounts of solid food.
"The food motivation was good and bad," Groth said. "When we started switching him to live food, he was fairly aggressive and started to resist being handled. Good for him, bad for us."
After nearly a month, Einstein was released from the hospital, and he's since been recuperating in the Raptor Rehabilitation Project's flight cage, where he's rebuilt muscle.
Now, the public is invited to watch Einstein fly free at 10:30 a.m. in the parking lot near the Missouri River at Eagle Bluffs Conservation Area south of Columbia.
"It's not very often people get an opportunity to see an eagle like that," Groth said.
Groth planned the Fourth of July event when she realized Einstein would be ready to be released around the holiday.
"I'm happy to see him go," she said.
Information from: Columbia Daily Tribune, http://www.columbiatribune.com