The eagle was illegally gunned down on the outskirts of Cobden last week.

If it cannot relearn to fly and be released back into the wild, wildlife officials may have no choice but to euthanase the raptor.

Warrnambool's Hopkins Point Road Wildlife Shelter operator Lorraine O'Brien said it was a case of being cruel to be kind.

``You cannot release an animal to just starve to death because it cannot fly,'' she told The Standard.

Things looked grim for Wedginald yesterday after he failed a flight test, but all was not lost. Cudgee Creek Wildlife Park operator Ken Altman said he would consider applying for a permit to house the bird.

Mrs O'Brien welcomed Mr Altman's offer and said she had no problems with the bird spending the rest of its life in captivity.

``The ultimate sacrifice an animal can make is educating the public,'' she said.

``People would be able to see how an animal can become disabled when people do stupid things.''

There is still hope that Wedginald can be released back into the wild.

Wedginald will have X-rays tomorrow to determine whether it sustained spinal or pelvic damage when it was gunned down.