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Bald eagles have a reputation as fairly majestic creatures who encapsulate the spirit of America, and I’d argue one of them managed to do exactly that based on the “ailment” it was diagnosed with after being rescued in a national park in Missouri following a big meal.
In 1782, the bald eagle got a major glow-up courtesy of the Second Continental Congress, which voted to approve the measure that made the bird the national emblem of the newly-formed United States of America (contrary to popular belief, Ben Franklin didn’t lobby for a turkey to get the nod).
The country was home to hundreds out thousands of members of the species at that point, but in the centuries that followed, hunting and the human development of their habitats caused that population to plummet before Congress passed the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act in 1940.
That attempt to protect bald eagles unfortunately coincided with the widespread use of DDT that further decimated the population due to its impact on the thickness of egg shells, and the species was officially listed as “endangered” in 1967.
Thankfully, the birds were able to mount a major comeback in the decades that followed, and there are now more than 300,000 of them in the United States as of the most recent evaluation.
Environmental officials continue to strive to protect America’s mascot, and last week, the Missouri Department of Conservation rescued a bald eagle at Wilson’s Creek National Battlefield under the belief it had suffered an injury that prevented it from flying.
However, that theory was debunked when the eagle was examined at a zoo in Springfield and underwent x-rays that determined it was still digesting the remains of a raccoon it had gorged itself on to the point where it was “too fat to fly” (it was able to take off successfully after getting some time to digest).
I’d argue nothing screams “America” like being unable to perform a basic task because you’ve eaten too much food, so credit where credit is due to the bald eagle for treating us to a hilariously on-the-nose tale.