Raptor Center Treating Record Number of Eagles

ST. PAUL (AP) - The University of Minnesota's Raptor Center is overcrowded with injured eagles. And experts say the situation is expected to get worse before it gets better.

The center's veterinarians have treated a record 145 eagles so far this year. That's about 50 more than the same time last year.

Experts at the center say the fall deer hunt will mean more injured eagles as the birds ingest lead ammunition from deer organs left in the woods by hunters.

The center's executive director Julie Ponder says many treated at the center are young eagles brought in following big summer storms. The center's staff members are under pressure to rehabilitate the birds so they can migrate to open water on the Mississippi River near Wabasha where older eagles can show them how to hunt and fish.