Houston Zoo welcomes bald eagle rescued during February’s winter storm

HOUSTON – A bald eagle recovering from a critical wing injury during the February freeze is making the Houston Zoo her new home.

In a news release Wednesday, the Houston Zoo said Mae, who arrived at the zoo last month, joined the Texas Wetlands exhibit along with the zoo’s other bald eagle, Sally Ride.

Mae was found in Huxley, Texas, by a game warden during the February ice storm with an open wing fracture. She was taken to a rehabilitation facility for birds of prey where she was treated with antibiotics and to an animal hospital in Lufkin, Texas.

Veterinarians who treated Mae declared her “unreleaseable” due to the nature of her injuries which affected her ability to fly, the zoo said.

Mae spent time behind the scenes as part of quarantine protocol after being transferred from the Tulsa Zoo. She and Sally were able to get along and can now be found at the Texas Wetlands exhibit.