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Copyright 2008 The Florida Times-Union

Florida Times-Union (Jacksonville)

August 5 2008 Tuesday

SECTION: Pg. B-2

LENGTH: 350 words,

HEADLINE: Mended eagle returned to wild; A Savannah man found it injured near his

home after it was hit by a car.

BYLINE: ALDO NAHED

BODY:

SAVANNAH - Seven months ago, Dale Hardie seized on a photo opportunity: a bald eagle

resting on a low tree branch. But something didn't seem right.

After capturing the hurt and limping eagle in a net, Hardie wrapped it in a blanket, thencontacted the Georgia Department of Natural Resources. Hardie later learned that a car had

struck the bird.

The staff at the Southeastern Raptor Rehabilitation Center at Auburn University's College of 

Veterinary Medicine in Auburn, Ala., began physical therapy Feb. 7. By Saturday morning, the

6- to 8-pound bird was back in full health.

Dozens of people gathered for Baldy's release into his natural habitat - Hardie's backyard -

overlooking Savannah's marshy coast.

"They're returning him to his mate," Hardie said. "I hope she's still around."

Hardie said Baldy frequented his property's oak trees, where he and a female eagle hunted

for prey.

Liz Crandall, a technician with the Southeastern Raptor Center, said the injured eagle had "a

fractured wing and wounds on both feet."

"He wouldn't be able to fly, protect himself or find food. And he could have starved himself,"

she said.

After looking at the fractures, veterinarians determined the bird did not need surgery, but he

did need physical therapy.

"We extend the wing and fold it in for 10 minutes a day," Crandall said.

Jamie Bellah, director of the Raptor Center, said other than the 10-minute therapy, Baldy

didn't have a lot of human contact in his aviary.

"It's best if they don't know we're their friends," Bellah said, "so when we release them, they

still have a fear of people and they can protect themselves."

Bellah said Baldy is about 4 or 5, indicated by his white head and white tail feathers.

Bald eagles in the wild can live up to 20 years, Bellah said, and in captivity, they have been

known to live up to 45 years. The bald eagle, America's national bird, is found throughout

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North America, from the tip of Florida to Alaska. About half of the world's 70,000 bald eagles

live in Alaska.

In the U.S., the species is protected by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act and the Bald and Golden

Eagle Protection Act.

LOAD-DATE: August 5, 2008

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