Rescue crew deployed to save baby eagle that was kicked from nest
So, there you are, sleeping comfortably in your nest high atop a rugged cliff. There’s no place like home, right? Well, for this baby eagle, nothing was further from the truth. That’s because when its parent suddenly took off for the wild blue yonder, probably in search of food, the little eaglet was accidentally kicked out of the nest.
Fortunately, the bird landed on a tiny ledge, but it was unable to get back to the nest. However, thanks to a livestream on a YouTube feed hosted by the Institute for Wildlife Studies powered by Explore.org, its plight was caught on camera. Realizing the bird was in mortal danger, a rescue team was dispatched to save it.
Watch this baby eagle rescued from the side of a cliff on Catalina Island.
The eagles’ nest is part of a 40-year reintroduction program on Catalina Island near Los Angeles, California. The program was started in 1980 when 33 eagles were collected from the wild and released from three different artificial nests in a bid to reestablish the eagle population that once thrived there.
There are just eight pairs of eagles on the island, and the stranded eaglet had hatched only in April. With such a small population, losing even one bird could significantly impact the program.
The nest is about an hour’s hike from the nearest road and perched precariously above the water. So, once the team finally got there, it was a delicate operation to get to the eaglet and save it. But the mission was accomplished. And after checking its legs and wings for any apparent injury, rescuers were fairly confident the bird was none the worse for wear.
Carefully, the eaglet was returned to its nest. And a few hours after the rescue, the adult eagles returned home to their baby, bringing a happy end to a dramatic day.