When two friends out for a walk in Brackendale spotted a bald eagle trapped in the branches of a tall tree on Sunday, they knew they had to act. “We weren’t leaving until we could figure out how to save the eagle,” said one of the women, Shelagh Thompson. The young male eagle was clearly in distress, with one of its wings stuck in a tree branch. “It was at first caught with its talons attached to the tree, and it seemed to be holding itself there in a more stable position,” said Thompson. “But then crows would come in and attack it. So it was having to defend itself, and then unfortunately, that made things worse. And it was now just hanging from its wing.” Thompson called conservation officers as crowds gathered to watch the struggling eagle. “Some of the dog walkers had gone to the coffee shop and luckily ran into the fire chief there getting a coffee. So he came over,” said Thompson. It was decided two firefighters on a ladder truck would come to the eagle’s rescue. “They climbed up the ladder and luckily it reached and they could get it out with a net. So it was very exciting. And we were all very grateful that they used their time and the resource to save the eagle,” said Thompson. The eagle was taken to Orphaned Wildlife Rehabilitation Society (OWL) in Delta. It’s been named Maple after the street where the rescue took place. “The firefighters did a great, great, job,” said OWL general manager Rob Hope. “It turns out it was impaled. And thankfully, the firemen were able to get him down successfully.” The eagle does have significant injuries and will be at the facility for three to nine months. “We have sutured him up to protect tendons and muscles,” said Hope. “Right now, we’re obviously worried about infection and keeping the skin viable. This two- to four-week period is very crucial.” If the eagle continues to recover, it will be moved into flight pens to test its wing. “Hopefully if we can keep the wing moving, he’s got a good chance of going back to the wild and living a normal, healthy life again.” Thompson is thrilled to hear the eagle she and her friend first spotted trapped high up in that tree is getting treatment. “I feel like it was definitely a community that came together to make this happen, because we all were trying to find as many resources as we could to figure out how to help this eagle,” she said. And if Maple is eventually well enough to fly again, she’d like to be there to see it, adding “We definitely look forward to hopefully being able to see it released.”
