JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- These days, if you want to find B.P. look up. Perched proudly, he now sits on a tall wooden ledge, a spot no one thought was within reach.
"To have him flying is like a miracle," said Cindy Mosling, co-founder of the Bird Emergency Aid and Kare Sanctuary (BEAKS).
B.P. is short for "Bulletproof." The 6-year-old bald eagle was shot back in December. Fishermen found him lying lifeless in a bush on Blount Island. By the time he arrived at BEAKS he was weak and struggling to survive, let alone fly.
"Never in a million years. I was afraid, I didn't think he was going to live," Mosling recalls.
For the last 30 years, Mosling has devoted her life to rehabilitating birds like Bulletproof. But recently, she's had her hands unusually full.
According to Mosling, there has been a sudden spike in birds being shot locally. In the past 24 hours, she's taken in 11 suffering seagulls she believes were shot somewhere in Atlantic Beach.
"Somebody just goes out for whatever reason and shoots birds for fun. Of course it's highly illegal," she said Wednesday.
Shooting a bald eagle, like Bulletproof, is actually a federal crime punishable by up to one year in prison and a $100,000 fine.
Fortunately, B.P. seems to have surpassed any and all expectations. While you can still see his left wing hangs a bit lower than it should, the eagle managed to soar through rehab and now soars overhead.
Mosling is hopeful he'll one day be able to return to the wild.
BEAKS is offering a $1,000 reward for any information about the bald eagle shooting that leads to an arrest.
