An eagle was rescued by local volunteers in Lac la Hache Thursday, Aug. 21 after getting its leg caught in a tree.
"It somehow got its foot caught and then twisted around the branch," said Todd McQueen, owner of McQueen's Forestry Services. He was contacted Wednesday evening by the Orphaned Wildlife Rehabilitation Society (OWL) to see if he could help.
"It certainly was the closest I've ever been to a wild one," McQueen said about his encounter with the eagle. By the time McQueen and his crew were contacted, it was too dark to safely rescue the bird. They geared up the next morning and a local resident took them across the lake by boat to where the eagle was caught.
"It was still there and thankfully still alive," McQueen said. At that point, the eagle had been hanging from the tree all through the night, its leg appearing to be broken after somehow getting it wrapped around the very top of the tree. Its nest and mate were nearby and both birds were agitated but did not swoop down on McQueen and his crew.
The team performed a well-thought-out rescue, with Hamish Harper climbing the neighbouring tree, passing a rope through its branches and over to McQueen who climbed the tree where the eagle was caught. They cut about four feet off the top of the tree where it already was dying, allowing the eagle, still caught on the branch, to fall no more than ten feet. They then slowly lowered the eagle until they could reach it and safely place it in a duffle bag before transferring it to a kennel.
"He calmed right down then," McQueen recalled, remarking how the eagle was likely tired out from the ordeal.
Local wildlife rescue volunteer Sue Burton travelled down to collect the bird which will then be transported to Delta to be rehabilitated by OWL.
"It's pretty cool that people are able to come together," said Rob Hope from OWL.
He said when they first learned about the eagle, they had to call around for potential rescuers before they found someone willing to help.
"A few people thought we were crazy," Hope said, explaining that it's a big job. "You have to find someone who is comfortable to go close to an eagle, climb a tree and then safely handle the eagle."
Keep an eye out for pictures and videos of the rescue on .
