Eagle rescue teaches lessons to local couple
Published: September 13, 2006
A sick bald eagle stranded near a trail along the Snye is doing well after a local couple rescued it.
“So we got it just in time,” said Jim Samaroden who, along with his wife Betty, snapped up the emaciated bird two weeks ago before it went to the Strathcona Raptor Shelter in Sherwood Park for treatment.
After the couple, who routinely help injured birds in the region, got word of the sick bald eagle with a broken wing from the shelter, they caught it using a blanket to tame it. Unable to fly, the roughly four-year-old bird hadn’t been getting any food, meaning its protein count was dangerously low. As well, it faced potential danger from wolves in the area as well as from people walking along the trails.
After feeding it moose meat at their home, the couple got it on a Syncrude Canada plane that took it down south. It’s since been at the shelter, where it’s expected to recover. “It will be let out; it will be freed,” said Jim. “They have really high hopes for it.”
For the couple, the chance to help a rare bald eagle has left them inspired. “It was very emotional to save a bald eagle,” said Betty. “They are such an elegant bird.”
The experience also taught them about the rules surrounding such rescues. They learned, for example, that the local fish and wildlife office is supposed to handle the situation. “People should not attempt to rescue these birds,” said Betty, noting the local office had been monitoring the sick bald eagle for some time.
In this case, the Samarodens had to get involved because the bird was on the verge of death and, since it was late on a Sunday night, the local fish and wildlife staff couldn’t be contacted. The couple had been authorized by the shelter to deal with it, but had the situation been different, they would have left the rescue up to the experts.
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