Golden eagle returns home to wild after near-fatal injuries

Posted: Sep 2, 2010 6:35 PM by Nancy Chen
Updated: Sep 2, 2010 7:37 PM

A golden eagle is back home in the wild tonight after near-fatal injuries just months ago.

He was rescued from Highway 101 near the Santa Margarita off ramp in February with massive trauma.

Underweight with a bloody eye and injured head, the bird's survival wasn't guaranteed.

"He was on the road on Highway 101 right here by Santa Margarita, and we think he was probably hit by a car," said Virginia Flaherty, a supervisor at Pacific Wildlife Care. "But he was also very thin."

John Green was driving when he saw the eagle sitting in the fast lane.

"There was cars zooming by him on both sides, and he just stood there," he said. "He was obviously in distress."

Green turned around to save the bird, putting himself at risk as he walked along Highway 101.

"When I was driving up, they were just zooming by," Green said. "But as soon as I was on the shoulder, they were trying to avoid the bird and put me in kind of a tight spot."

He took the underweight eagle to Pacific Wildlife Care. He was eventually transferred to the UC Davis Raptor Center.

"He actually went through periods of time where we didn't think he was going to survive, his injuries were so extensive," Flaherty said.

The eagle's six months in recovery are unusual. he kept re-injuring himself, at one point even damaging his breastbone because he so strongly disliked being in captivity.

"He would throw himself against the walls of the cage, trying to get out," she said.

The eagle came back around a few times after flying away.

He gained two pounds in captivity, putting him at normal weight, and spent the past two weeks building up muscle strength for today.

The eagle is young and is expected to be able to live a full life now; golden eagles typically live about thirty years.