East County Bald Eagle dies after it's struck by car

East County has one less bald eagle, after a vehicle hit the bird Monday morning.

Justin Matthews, of Matthews Wildlife Rescue, received a call that the bird was on the side of Interstate 75, between exits 217 and 220.

The eagle died in Matthews' vehicle on the way to Bayshore Animal Hospital, he said. The bird had blood coming from its nose and mouth, and was injured when a car struck her while she fed on a dead possum Matthews found nearby, he said.

Matthews suspects the bird was out retrieving food for her two baby birds, that she planned to bring back to her family's nest he thinks is located near the corner of 44th Avenue and Caruso Road in East County. Vehicles often hit eagles and other birds that eat dead animals of roads; the issue isn't a new one, Matthews said.

Now, the male eagle will need to feed the baby birds and also teach them how to hunt.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission collected the dead eagle to bring it to an American Indian tribe for a ritual, Matthews added.

"It's hard to watch such a majestic bird take its last breath," Matthews said. 

For more information, visit Matthews' Facebook page — https://www.facebook.com/justin.matthews.545849?fref=nf.

Contact Amanda Sebastiano at [email protected]