A local eagle has been reunited with its riverside friend in Quesnel after suffering a gunshot wound.
“It had lead shot in its wing,” said Steve Smith from Q-Birds, a local photography and appreciation group focused on our aviation friends.
A local resident named Lyndsay and four kids noticed the injured eagle on January 9. The bird was in such an immobilized state of distress that they were able to take it into their custody and get it to Smith.
“It was in very bad shape,” Smith said, who called on Quesnel veterinarian “Dr. Bianca” to do an inspection. It was determined that the eagle had lead poisoning as well as injuries from the gunshot.
“Bianca kept it overnight and X-rayed it, then we shipped it to OWL in Delta where they rehabilitated it and sent it back for release in the same area it was found,” Smith said.
OWL is the Orphaned Wildlife Rehabilitation Society dedicated to the healthcare of injured and orphaned raptors.
The transportation in between Quesnel and Delta was provided as a pro bono service by Bandstra Transportation Systems. The trucking company rolled the eagle back into town for a release back into the wild that happened on Thursday (April 11). The cage was opened at West Fraser Timber Park at 8 a.m.
“It is a full-size male bald eagle, part of a pair that usually sits in the cottonwoods down around by the hospital,” Smith said. “Hopefully they will get back together. Another eagle flew over and landed nearby after the release.”
A number of Q-Birds supporters and nature lovers were on hand for the release.
“Thank you to everyone for coming out this morning,” said Smith at the time. “It was great to see a bird get a second chance as nobody thought it would survive.”
For more information on local birds, including some impressive photography, look up the Q-Birds page on Facebook.
READ MORE: A little sunny honey house for Quesnel birds
READ MORE: The faces of nature now watch from the Quesnel friendship centre