A young bald eagle will be released into the wild after making a full recovery from barbiturate poisoning.

The eagle was found on the side of a road on Sept. 8 and rescued by Skegemog Raptor Center . While there were no signs of trauma from a vehicle collision, the bird had symptoms consistent with barbiturate poisoning.

“He was barely conscious, with a severely depressed heart rate and shallow breathing,” said James Manley, founder of Skegemog.

Raptors have a relatively narrow tolerance for barbiturates, which are often used to euthanize pets and livestock, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service . When euthanized animals are not properly disposed of, they can be mistaken for a feast and result in sickening and deaths of eagles, hawks, ravens and other scavengers.

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