Auburn University's Southeastern Raptor Center has released thousands of rehabilitated birds back into the wild over the years, but the recent release of a bald eagle was a special moment for the Auburn family.
On May 11, the Raptor Center released a male adult bald eagle back into the wild near the Auburn Fisheries Center off North College Street.
The eagle is the first local raptor to be rehabilitated and released back into its natural habitat.
"Generally, when we have eagles that are ready to be released, we try to release them as close as we can to where they were found," director Jamie Bellah said. "This guy was found stuck in one of the ponds at the fisheries."
The eagle endured a lengthy series of tests when it first arrived at the center.
Bellah said the eagle was weak at first, but it was not suffering from any major illnesses, or injuries.
"We couldn't find any health issues with this particular eagle, but he was clearly not able to fly with great endurance or vertical lift," said Liz Crandall, a raptor rehabilitation specialist at the center. "This was a unique situation. The birds we usually get have obvious trauma, and we usually have a good guess to what it is going to do in rehabilitation."
The process to get the eagle back to full health took about nine months. The eagle underwent more tests before it was allowed to go back into the wild.
Crandall estimates that approximately 150 people attended the release event.
"We get a lot of support from the Auburn Family and the local community, not just for the Raptor Center, but for the college of veterinary medicine," Bellah said. "As Dr. Jill Heatley said when she was here at the center, 'It takes a college to raise a raptor.' It's a full team effort to get to a release like this one, so it's great to see the public come out and be a part of it."
After an educational demonstration featuring two red-tailed hawks, Bellah released the eagle back over the pond where he was found.
As he flew out of sight, some in the crowd let out a "War Eagle."
"This was very special because it was the first eagle we have been able to release in Auburn," Crandall said. "We may not get another eagle from the Auburn area. We hope there aren't any more injured birds in Auburn, but it was great to get to share this special moment with the community."
The Southeastern Raptor Center admits 250-300 injured, ill or orphaned birds of prey every year. Around 40 percent of those raptors are released back into the wild, while some that are unable to return to their natural habitat are transferred to zoos and other educational facilities.
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