A volleyball net, a front-end loader, a firetruck and 600 feet of marine rope.
ThatB次元官网网址檚 what DeltaB次元官网网址檚 (OWL) used to rescue a juvenile bald eagle that was stuck in a water treatment settling pond in Richmond. OWL posted video of the rescue, which took place on Saturday, Aug. 24, to its social media channels earlier this week.
On Saturday, Aug. 24, a Good Samaritan called OWL to report the young eagle was stuck in a settling pond at the Iona Island Waste Treatment Plant. The bird had landed on the muddy surface of the pond and its feathers soon became clogged with sludge, rendering it unable to fly away.
B次元官网网址淭he bird was trapped on a patch of vegetation B次元官网网址� if he stepped off he would start to sink, having to breaststroke back to the island of vegetation,B次元官网网址� OWL wrote on Facebook.
SEE ALSO:
Rescuers had few options to help the bird; safety restrictions meant boats and people are not allowed in the settling pond, and using a helicopter was out of the questions since the pond is located within Vancouver International AirportB次元官网网址檚 restricted airspace.
WhatB次元官网网址檚 more, the treatment plantB次元官网网址檚 crane wasnB次元官网网址檛 long enough to help either, as its 18 metre reach was not enough to get to the eagle 40 metres away.
OWL staff and volunteers came up with a plan to suspend a 10-metre volleyball net between a Richmond fire truck and the treatment plantB次元官网网址檚 front-end loader, then B次元官网网址渄riveB次元官网网址� the net to the patch of vegetation the eagle was clinging to in the hope the bird would get caught up in it and could then be pulled to shore.
Once the eagle was reeled in, rescuers cut the bird free and brought it back to OWLB次元官网网址檚 facility in South Delta for medical treatment and rehabilitation. Thankfully, aside from being weak and hungry, the eagleB次元官网网址檚 only injuries were some minor scrapes.
The young eagle was fed salmon and kept in OWLB次元官网网址檚 intensive care unit for a number of days for further observations and cleaning before being released back into the wild on Tuesday, Sept. 17.
Watch OWLB次元官网网址檚 full 23-minute video of the eagleB次元官网网址檚 rescue and rehabilitation below.
SEE ALSO:
editor@northdeltareporter.com
Like us on and follow us on
