A drenched bald eagle, grounded at a garbage dump in Brantford, Ontario, was successfully rescued and is now under the care of a wildlife rehabilitation center.
The challenging rescue mission involved bylaw officers who managed to extricate the eagle from the Brantford Landfill Site Scale despite facing difficulties. Chantal Theijin, the authorized wildlife custodian at Hobbitstee Wildlife Refuge in Nanticoke, described the eagle as extremely wet and emitting a strong odor, likening her to a soaked rat.
The bird was likely foraging at the dump when heavy rains hit parts of Ontario on Monday. Theijin mentioned that it is not uncommon for eagles to frequent garbage dumps.
Supervisor Ian Harrower from the City of Brantford’s bylaw compliance division was alerted about the immobile eagle at the dump. It took a team effort, involving about six individuals, to capture the eagle, which had lost its ability to fly. Staff used dirt bikes to guide the bird towards them, eventually cornering and covering it with jackets.
The entire operation lasted approximately 40 minutes, with Harrower emphasizing that such rescues were uncommon for their team, typically dealing with standard bylaw complaints.
The eagle, initially thought to have a broken wing, was later transported to Hobbitstee Wildlife Refuge for further care. The refuge, funded solely by community donations, is known for its wildlife rehabilitation efforts, having rescued numerous eagles yearly.
The rescued eagle is expected to fully recover in two to four weeks, as indicated by Theijin, though her feathers require time to heal due to exposure to a mysterious substance. Despite her somewhat challenging demeanor, Theijin expressed optimism about the eagle’s recovery and highlighted the importance of the care provided by the refuge staff.