It started as a feel-good story: An American bald eagle was saved through the cooperation of multiple officials, with a special Metro train marshaled to pull off the rescue.
But now the question looms as to what will happen to the injured symbol of the nation, saved from the nation’s subway system. The fate of the bald eagle rescued on Feb. 25 remains trapped in a confusing web of rules.
The eagle found on the side of Metro’s Blue Line tracks near the Eisenhower Avenue station lost a large section of its left wing. It likely had been hit by a train, plane or truck days before being rescued because it weighed just 8 1/2 pounds, down from the 10 to 12 pounds it should have been, said Kent Knowles, who rescued it for the Raptor Conservancy Center of Virginia.
“We can keep the bird and get its weight back up, but that’s not the point,” he said.
He said the bird is never going to fly again.
“To release the eagle would be unprofessional, unacceptable and stupid,” Knowles said. “It could not capture prey. It would die.”
Permanent captivity isn’t an easy option, either. Even though bald eagles are no longer considered endangered, they remain protected by at least three federal laws, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
They must be kept by nonprofits that are open to the public and have existing, adequate facilities for the birds, Knowles said. A trust fund must be in place with enough money to cover the cost of caring for the bird the rest of its natural life. That limits the option mainly to zoos, he said, but many already have an eagle in their menagerie.
In this case, it also could turn out to be a long-term commitment. American bald eagles can live for some 40 years in captivity, Knowles said, and experts believe the bird, a female, is 5 years old.
The conservancy is reviewing the regulations and consulting with surgeons to find options.
In the meantime, the conservancy, made up entirely of volunteers, is caring for the eagle. Still, Knowles said, “It’s not an easy one to take care of. None of them are.”
Eagles are also notoriously “nasty tempered,” he said. They are picky eaters who like their fish fresh, preferably live. Often they don’t eat on their own while in captivity and must be force-fed.
And no, the eagle has not been given a name. “These are wild creatures,” said Knowles, who has been volunteering to help such birds for more than 21 years. “These are not cats and dogs.”
The case of the bald eagle, sadly, isn’t that unusual. Knowles said the conservancy has taken in injured eagles hit by planes at both Ronald Reagan Washington National and Washington Dulles International airports in recent years. Turns out the large birds are susceptible to major collisions, he said. Both of those birds had to be euthanized.
