By AP / KWMU
West Alton, Missouri – One of the pellets penetrated the eagle's skull.
Veterinarians say the eagle will require at least three weeks of
physical therapy. There is only a 50 percent chance it will recover
sufficiently to return to the wild.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is investigating the incident.
Shooting bald eagles is a federal felony.
Bald eagles were near extinction in most of the U.S. in the 1970s. They have come back so strongly that they were removed from the endangered species list in 1995.