Injured Bald Eagle Gets Saved By Rescuers Using A Net, Dog Crate And Sled

Feb 26, 2019

The majesty of a bald eagle in flight or perched prestigiously is awe-inspiring, and many Coloradoans have had the incredible opportunity to see this native bird in its natural habitat over the years.

When one local resident took an early morning walk through a state park, a bald eagle caught his attention. As told by the Colorado Springs Gazette, he could tell immediately that the bird was injured, and he decided to take action.

The man sought assistance from his neighbor, and the two men attempted to reach the bird to determine the extent of its injuries. Unfortunately, their efforts simply frightened the bird away.

Injured, the bald eagle could only make it to a nearby culvert.

While the man wanted to help the injured bird, he also knew that this raptor was a natural predator and could be a threat to humans in some situations. In fact, he had volunteered for more than two decades with the Colorado Parks and Wildlife and had been involved in the rescue of several other smaller raptors over the years.

The bald eagle’s perch in the culvert created a true challenge for rescuers.

This tube was 20 feet long, but it was only 24 inches wide. Altogether, it took the man and a full team of his neighbors more than three long hours to finally rescue the bald eagle. As one neighbor tried to enter the narrow culvert and intimidate the eagle into backing up, the original rescuer had a net securely over the culvert’s other opening.

Finally, the bald eagle was captured in the net and quickly placed in a dog kennel. Getting the bird into the dog crate was a major effort as well. With one man holding the bird’s talons and a few other men holding the bird by its wings, they managed to fit the bald eagle into the crate.

The other aspect of the rescue was managing to get the dog kennel through the wilderness so that the bird could receive the care that it needed.

A sled was used to haul the dog kennel through the forest and to civilization.

The rescue team received praise for their efforts from the CPW. The bird was taken to the Catamount Wildlife Center. There, it was discovered that it was missing a talon and had a bruised wing.

It is expected to recover quickly and will be released into the wild soon.

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