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Bald eagle rescued from Hudson River ice is doing better, but not out of the woods
By
Giulia Heyward
Published Feb 20, 2026
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Courtesy of the Raptor Trust
By
Giulia Heyward
Published Feb 20, 2026
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The bald eagle rescued from an ice floe on the Hudson River earlier this week is showing signs of progress, although it remains in critical condition.
Police body camera footage of the eagle seen calling for help while floating on a block of ice near the George Washington Bridge on Tuesday morning captured the attention of New Yorkers on social media.
Police were able to rescue the bird and transport it to the Raptor Trust wild bird rehabilitation center in Millington, New Jersey.
And as of Friday afternoon, the eagle was eating on its own and its condition could be best described as “guarded,” according to Chris Soucy, the rehab center’s executive director.
“It’s still critical, it’s not really stable enough for us to even want to perform all the diagnostics that we would like to perform,” Soucy said.
The bird, which was displaying neurological symptoms, was also showing elevated liver numbers and a high white blood cell count, he said.
Soucy said the Raptor Trust had already begun treatment for liver toxicity, and any infection or inflammation that could possibly be indicated by the high white blood cell count.
The bird is still not able to undergo an X-ray or ultrasound, but blood drawn from the eagle is being sent out for a panel for more information.
“We treat 6,000 patients here a year — there’s dozens of other patients in care right now,” Soucy said. “They’re all — to us — just as important. But this is the one that is getting the attention.”
Raptor Trust said it’s also been in contact with the state Department of Environmental Conservation and New Jersey’s fish and wildlife department about the bird’s health.
Tagged
animals
environment
hudson river
new jersey
new york city
public safety
weather
Giulia Heyward
Giulia Heyward is a breaking news reporter on the Day-Of desk. She previously worked at NPR, as a breaking news reporter, and the New York Times, as a reporting fellow on the national desk. Her work has also appeared in CNN, The Atlantic and Politico. Got a tip? Email [email protected] or more securely on signal at 917-715-1458.
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