A bald eagle is slowly recovering from surgeries after being shot in Missouri. The male eagle was found injured in central Missouri on July 11th. A volunteer with the World Bird Sanctuary picked him up and brought the 7-pound adult back to the sanctuary in suburban St. Louis. 

Roger Holloway is the sanctuary’s executive director. He says the eagle’s upper beak was nearly split in half. It also had an injured left wing and suffered from lead poisoning. Experts say shootings of America’s national bird and other raptors are far too common. The eagle is among six big raptors treated for gunshot wounds this year alone at the World Bird Sanctuary.