Injured bald eagle rescued from California interstate

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Bald eagles see record-high numbers after extinction threat

The bald eagle’s comeback is frequently regarded as one of the greatest conservation stories in North American history, bouncing back from under 500 eagle pairs in 1963.

An injured bald eagle has been rescued from an interstate in northern California.

In a Facebook post, California Highway Patrol-Redding explained that it received a report of the injured eagle blocking a lane on the I-5 near Knighton. “Within minutes, officers arrived on scene and found a large bald eagle standing in the number one lane. CHP units were able to get the eagle to the shoulder of I-5 and out of the traffic lanes,” they wrote.

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The injured bald eagle was found on the I-5 near Knighton. (COURTESY: CHP - REDDING)

Shasta County animal control and Department of Fish & Wildlife (DFW) then arrived and helped to cage the eagle, CHP-Redding explained. “DFW is taking the eagle to a facility where it will be examined and treated,” it added.

There are hundreds of bald eagles residing year-round in California, according to California’s Department of Fish and Wildlife, although this number can increase during the winter when hundreds of migrating eagles arrive in the Golden State. “On some midwinter statewide surveys, more than 1,000 bald eagles have been counted in California,” it explains on its website.

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California Highway Patrol officers were able to get the eagle off the interstate. (COURTESY: CHP - REDDING)

In northern California, the Whiskeytown-Shasta-Trinity National Recreation Area supports close to 20 percent of the nesting eagles in the state, according to the U.S. Forest Service.

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California Highway Patrol, Shasta County animal control and Department of Fish & Wildlife (DFW) officials caged the eagle. (COURTESY: CHP - REDDING)

In Ohio, officials recently reported that the state’s bald eagle population has soared by 151 percent since the last statewide headcount in 2012. Data released by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources revealed that this year’s survey found 707 bald eagle nests, up from 281 in 2012.

Fox News’ Michael Ruiz and Wendy Layne contributed to this article. Follow James Rogers on Twitter @jamesjrogers