That's Wild

The Day I "Rescued" the Golden Eagle

By Kristi Littrell

I was out in the car one day when my dog, Frosty, started barking like mad at some animal off to the side of the road. I glanced over, expecting to see a deer and instead caught sight of a large bird stumbling about. I stopped the car to see if there was anything I could do for this poor creature and got out to view a beautiful golden eagle. He appeared to not be in pain, but seemed to be hopping about unable to take off and soar about in the beautiful blue skies above.

My initial instinct was to reach out and help this poor bird and a quick thought raced through my mind of what I might have in my car that I could put him in safely. Then another wiser thought entered my head.

"It is extremely important to know when not to rescue a wild animal or bird and to call me first before rescuing one." It was something I remembered hearing from Sharon St. Joan, a wildlfile rehabilitator at Feathered Friends. So I ran to my cell phone and proceeded to tell Sharon of the injured golden eagle. Sharon then contacted a bird rehabilitator who lived nearby and knew a lot more about birds than I did.

The bird rehab person took one look at the golden eagle and explained to me that he was not injured at all! "But why couldn't he take off and fly then?" I asked confused. She explained that the eagle had gorged himself so much on some delicacy that currently he was attempting to digest it by bopping about and indeed take off. I was so glad I hadn't tried to help him out and I bet he was too!

The next day Sharon explained that sometimes it's best to leave wildlife alone because you risk being attacked by the animal or bird (especially raptors whose talons are much more dangerous than their beaks). You can end up hurting the bird worse by moving it and many times there is no need to rescue it at all (as in the case of my Golden Eagle). Also, many baby birds may look like they need help when in actuality they're simply getting their first flying lesson.

Many fawn are "rescued" by well-meaning people who are actually kidnapping them from their mothers who have left them alone for a few hours.

On the other hand, without human intervention, an injured bird will sometimes have no chance for survival. Thus the best thing to do, Sharon explained to me, is to call a licensed wildlife rehabilitator or the local Fish and Game Department. You can also call Sharon directly at Best Friends Animal Sanctuary at 644-2001, ext. 211.

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