Listen, I am not one to get on board with fat-shaming, no matter the species.
That said, if you’re a bird who can no longer do the bird-iest of things – aka, flying – you might want to take a look at your choices.
Which is how I imagine the talk went between conservationists and this chubby bald eagle, “rescued” when they assumed it was injured.
A group of onlookers near Wilson’s Creek National Battlefield spotted the eagle and alerted conservationists. They said it was “shambling around” on the ground and seemed unable to lift off.
The Department of conservation took it to a veterinary office, where x-rays revealed not a broken wing, but a whole bunch of raccoon in its belly.
In fact, it appeared the bird had swallowed at least a paw entirely whole.
Bald eagles eat mostly fish, which account for around 90% of their diets, but they are omnivores who will eat pretty much anything they can catch or find.
In this case, a raccoon carcass.
The eagle was left alone to digest his meal before being released near where it was found.
Hopefully he learned his lesson about overindulging.
If so, maybe he could teach me before Thanksgiving gets here.
Thought that was fascinating? Here’s another story you might like: Why You’ll Never See A Great White Shark In An Aquarium