Eaglet cures itself before planned surgery

WAYNESBORO, Va., July 10 (UPI) -- The Wildlife Center of Virginia announced that an eaglet discovered at the state's Norfolk Botanical Garden will not require surgery to remove a beak growth.

The wildlife center, based in the city of Waynesboro, said the 3-month-old baby eagle was scheduled to undergo surgery Saturday to remove a growth from its beak, but workers at the center discovered Wednesday that the growth had fallen off on its own, the Newport News (Va.) Daily Press reported Thursday.

"The eagle's immune system was obviously doing its job, and (it has) taken care of the lesion on its own," director of veterinary services Dave McRuer wrote in his report. "Underneath the spot where the mass had been was a beautiful bed of granulation tissue, indicating both the end of the mass and recovery by the body."

McRuer said X-rays of the eaglet's head indicated that the internal portion of the growth had also disappeared without the need for surgery.

He said veterinarians are now focused on correcting the eaglet's crooked beak so it will form into the correct shape as the bird grows.