With wounds from a previous fight not yet healed, this badly beaten bald eagle was already in another fight on Palm Beach.
It was evening when Powell River Orphaned Wildlife Society (PROWLS) president Merrilee Prior received the call. Knowing an eagle is best handled with two people, she enlisted photographer Michelle Pennell to help with the rescue.
The initial caller was keeping beach walkers and dogs away.
The fight had been hard on the eagle, leaving it scalped on the right side of his head and injured above the right eye, with older wounds on his breast and back. As a result, Merrilee could easily get the net over the eagle.
It was given first aid, including painkillers, at PROWLS and prepared for an early morning flight on Pacific Coastal Airlines to Vancouver, where a volunteer took the eagle to Orphaned Wildlife Rehabilitation Society in Delta, the raptor specialists. They, too, determined he was in poor shape, and expect he will spend considerable time with them. Only time will tell whether the skin and feathers will grow back.
Famous for their death grip, with their claws locked in place, eagles are quick to fight; even the young teens are on the prowl, looking for trouble.
Eventually, with such determination, we hope this fierce eagle will return home to his territory and help his mate raise a family.
