By Cpl. Madonna Saunderson
Mounties get their … bird?
With help from a Bella Coola community resident, Cst. Casey Charles and Cst. Marina Coan were able to rescue a juvenile eagle, which is now recovering at OWL, the Orphaned Wildlife Rehabilitation Society, in Delta.
On May 20, the Bella Coola RCMP were advised of an eagle with a broken wing that was on the bank of the Tatsquan River near the bridge. The injury prevented the eagle from flying.
Constables Charles and Coan responded to the scene, where they found our feathered friend in distress. Cst. Coan got in touch with the Conservation Office, which in turn contacted OWL, who provided instructions to the members on how to catch the bird.
Cst. Charles donned chest waders and leather gloves, armed himself with eagle-catching tools such as a leather jacket, a fishing net, and a dog kennel, waded through the water, scaled the riverbank, and safely caught the bird.
With the eagle safely contained within the fishing net and leather jacket, Cst. Charles returned to Cst. Coan, who was waiting with the dog kennel.
The eagle spent the night at the Bella Coola detachment, where it was given a meal of fish before the bird was flown to Delta, where it will be rehabilitated and eventually returned to the wild.
A job well done!
editorial@accjournal.ca
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