Last year, a bald eagle was flying above Logan Township, Pennsylvania, when he decided to perch on some telephone wires near a local roadway.
What the eagle didn’t realize as he descended was that the wires were buzzing with a dangerous electric current.
As soon as the eagle landed, he was electrocuted. He momentarily lost mobility, stumbling off the wires and landing on the gravel road below.
Luckily, a group of construction workers nearby spotted the eagle and called the Logan Township Police Department for help.
According to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania website, bald eagles were once considered rare in the state, their numbers having dwindled due to hunting and the use of dangerous pesticides. Thankfully, conservation efforts in recent decades, including the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act and the Migratory Bird Protection Treaty Act, have helped revive these majestic birds, and today they can be found all across the area.
Officers carefully approached the eagle. The wild bird tried to get away but couldn’t move very far.
“He could not fly,” Corporal Shea Stayer told The Dodo. “But he could walk.”
Rescuers called the game commission for backup. When the animal experts arrived, they used a net to secure the eagle. Using gloves, they picked him up and placed him safely in their patrol unit car.
The officers brought the bird to Centre Wildlife Care in Port Matilda, where rehabilitators examined him and developed a plan for his recovery.
Back on his feet and learning to fly again, this beautiful wild bird and beloved national symbol got the second chance he needed, thanks to the rescuers who never gave up.
