A young red-tailed hawk will be released back to the wild Saturday near L’Anse.
Officials from the Chocolay Raptor Center say the hawk was rescued in that area just over a month ago. It was unable to fly.
An exam by raptor rehab expert Beth Maata revealed that the hawk had been shot. A damaged wing bone was beginning to heal, and several shotgun pellets remained in the hawk’s body.
Maata and a veterinarian decided that trying to remove the pellets would do more harm than good. Since that time, the wounds have healed, and the hawk has regained its full flight ability.