HOUSTON — A beautiful bald eagle that barely survived the deadly winter storm has a new home at the Houston Zoo.
Mae's wing was critically injured when she was found by a game warden in Huxley, Texas.
She was treated with antibiotics at Last Chance Forever before she was well enough to move Angelina Animal Hospital in Lufkin.
Mae recovered from the infection but the severe injury affected her ability to fly so she couldn't be released back into the wild.
The Zoo was happy to welcome the eagle in early May but she spent some time behind the scenes in quarantine.
She was introduced to Sally, a bald eagle found in Oklahoma with an injured wing.
The birds of a feather hit it off and were moved to the Texas Wetlands bald eagle exhibit on June 15.
Mae is named after former astronaut Mae Jemison, the first Black woman in space and Sally is a tribute to Sally Ride, the first woman in space.
The number of wild bald eagles plunged in the 1960s and 70s because of the effects of pesticides.
They were added to the Endangered Species list and their numbers slowly climbed. In 2007, eagles were thriving again and they were removed from the list.
A portion of each Zoo admission and membership goes toward protecting animals in the wild.