A bald eagle is recovering after it is believed to have been shot.

The female 2½-year-old eagle was found Dec. 12 in Berks County along the Schuylkill River Rail Trail.

A man in his 20s who was biking with his mother found the bird, Red Creek Wildlife Center volunteer Bonnie Bohnenblust said Thursday. The group Wildlife in Need then contacted her.

The man captured the eagle by placing a trash can over it and using a piece of wood to coax it into the container. He lives nearby and was able to return home to get the items.

Bohnenblust got the eagle Dec. 13 and placed in it her car for the drive to Red Creek. It was then taken to Radnor Veterinary Hospital in Wayne for examination.

“It’s a very active bird. It’s very feisty. She’s very strong,” Bohnenblust said.

Peggy Hentz, founder and owner of the center, said the injury is “typical of a gunshot wound.”

She also said a bone was “snapped right in half.”

Although the injury could be caused by something else, that is unlikely, Hentz said.

“Such an action is deplorable,” she said.

Kaley Egan, a wildlife rehabilitator, said the left wing is fractured. She agreed with Hentz about the eagle possibly being shot.

“There are other possibilities but that’s most likely what happened,” Egan said.

The Pennsylvania Game Commission and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service were contacted.

“There is an ongoing investigation with the game commission,” Egan said.

The eagle has pins and an external fixator, which helps to keep the bones in place. They will be removed once sufficient progress is made. Antibiotics are given twice a day.

Egan said several more appointments are needed.

Hentz said the eagle had a veterinary appointment Thursday and its wing is “healing nicely.”

When appropriate, the eagle will go to the 100-foot-long flight pen used for eagles and osprey.

It will later be released.

Donations to help the animals are appreciated.

Call 570-739-4393, make an online donation at redcreekwildlifecenter.com, send a donation to 300 Moonhill Drive Schuylkill Haven, PA 17972 or Red Creek Wildlife on Facebook.