New York State Officials Rescue Bald Eagle. What Happened?

Recently, a distressed bald eagle was rescued by DEC officials in New York. Officers say the animal's injuries came after the eagle flew into a fence.

A startling amount of birds are injured or killed flying into man-made structures, such as windows, every year. According to Portland Audubon, window strikes are among the top three human-related causes of bird deaths, along with cats and habitat destruction.

A 2014 study by the Smithsonian estimated that these collisions likely kill between 365 million and 1 billion birds annually in the United States.

DEC Officers Save Young Bald Eagle Stuck in Fence

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation says that one of their officers received a report of a bald eagle in distress in the hamlet of East Marion, in Suffolk County.

The DEC says that the officer observed a juvenile bald eagle stuck in a fence, suspecting it injured itself when it flew into the fence while chasing prey. Once removed, the eagle was still unable to fly, according to the DEC.

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But there is good news, according to the DEC. Officer Zullo contacted a licensed rehabilitator who is treating the eagle until it is healthy enough to be released back into the wild.

Bald Eagle Numbers in New York State

At one time, bald eagles were almost nonexistent in the state of New York.

Park rangers told CBS that they have worked hard over the past 20 years to bring the bald eagle population back to New York. Such factors as pollution, pesticides like DDT, and human intervention drove their numbers almost to zero.

CBS says that in the 1970s, the bald eagle population may have been as low as just two in the entire state. But with huge efforts from environmental officials and other wildlife organizations, there are now close to 1,000, and they're no longer considered endangered in the state.