Two adult bald eagles recently “talon-locked” during a mid-air battle in Duluth, Minn. and crash-landed on the Duluth International Airport tarmac. While one bird was able to fly away, the other was severely injured and was taken to The Raptor Center at the University of Minnesota for care.

Talon-locking is known to occur among eagles of the same sex during breeding territory battles and among male and female eagles during courtship.

The eagle cared for at The Raptor Center sustained puncture wounds from the second bird’s talons and is expected to recover.

Watch a KARE 11 video featuring The Raptor Center executive director Julia Ponder, D.V.M., and the bald eagle patient here.

For many this spring, the return of the sun and warm weather also means a return of seasonal allergies. The sniffling, sneezing and itching can be a frustrating characteristic of this time of year. As you head for the pharmacist to combat your allergies once again, keep an eye on your pets — they may be suffering, too.

May is National Asthma and Allergy Awareness Month, spotlighting a peak season for asthma and allergy symptoms as pollen and other allergens come out in full force.

David Fenley is a research assistant at the National Center for Food Protection and Defense (NCFPD) and student in the University of Minnesota’s Hubert H. Humphrey School of Public Affairs. This post first appeared on the NCFPD’s Blog. 

At the National Center for Food Protection and Defense we aim to anticipate food system disruptions before they become just that, disruptions.

While markets around the world react to the Chinese H7N9 bird flu scare and poultry is slaughtered by the tens of thousands in an attempt to contain its further spread, the United States might not have too much cause for concern.

The flu virus is not easily spread from person-to-person and the U.S. does not currently import Chinese poultry for human consumption. Pet food, on the other hand, is imported and has a history of harming our furry friends.

In the past decade, U.S. trade relations with China have improved immensely, but there are still many points of contention, poultry being one of them.

Many diseases and infections come to humans from wildlife. So what are we doing to try to prevent the spread? Which animals should we be wary of…and why?

Defining the risk of the international wildlife trade is challenging, but the stakes for controlling the trade and mitigating its dangers will be critical to protecting humans from emerging disease.

Many organizations and some federal agencies, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, have expressed concern that pathogens entering the country through the wildlife trade could potentially make the jump to humans, morphing into something more troublesome.

Minnesota’s moose population has dropped by 52 percent since 2010, and no one knows why.

To find out, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is working with collaborators at the University of Minnesota to investigate the species’ decline.

The Minnesota Urolith Center (MUC) at the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine recently reached a big milestone: they received their 750,000th urolith, or bladder stone.

Data collected from urolith samples helps the MUC provide recommendations, consultations, clinical studies and lectures on uroliths and how to better treat and prevent them worldwide.

The receipt of the “struvite-calcium phosphate carbonate stone” was also marked by a $500,000 renewed sponsorship of the center by Hill’s Pet Nutrition.