A sick and injured bald eagle may yet survive after police helped rescue the bird from someone who was reportedly planning to cook and eat it.
The incident played out on Lions Gate Bridge on Saturday afternoon. Police received reports of a man carrying the juvenile eagle out of Stanley Park. Vancouver Police Department and West Vancouver Police Department members responded and VPD arrested the suspect on the bridge.
“During the arrest, the eagle jumped down from the man’s arm, landing on the bridge deck. The eagle then leapt up to the roof of a police cruiser. After some moments, the injured bird attempted to fly away but could not sustain flight,” said Sgt. Chris Bigland, West Vancouver police spokesman. “Our officers located the bird beneath Lions Gate Bridge without further injury.”
West Van officers wrapped the eagle in a blanket, put it in a squad car, and contacted the Orphaned Wildlife Rehabilitation Society (OWL) in Delta.
Witnesses reported the man said he intended to eat the bird.
A VPD spokesperson said they have forwarded the file to the B.C. Conservation Officer Service for further investigation, but mental health appears to be a factor. Under the Wildlife Act, it is illegal to possess, take, injure, or destroy a bald eagle.
The injured eagle was already on the radar of OWL after a citizen called to report a raptor in distress in Stanley Park earlier on Saturday. They didn’t have anyone available go fetch the bird, but a short time later West Vancouver Police called to say they had the raptor in custody.
The eagle has an injury to its eye, said OWL manager Rob Hope, and it is evident the bird has lead poisoning.
At this time of year, eagles are returning from their winter migration to feed on salmon in the Far North. Frequently, they pick up wounds on the way and they scavenge other animals that have been left with lead shot in them from hunters.
“Once [lead] is in their system, unfortunately, it’s very hard to get it out, but we are going to be doing chelation treatment on the animal here very shortly.”
Because it occurred during the migration, its impossible to know where this particular raptor regularly roosts, Hope said.
Hope said it is very rare for people to want to eat bald eagles, but not unheard of.
“But the person who had possession of the bird was very lucky in the fact that he didn’t get seriously hurt, or if the bird is sick, obviously it could cause him a lot of problems, and that’s why we always suggest to people to give us a call and let us properly handle these situations,” he said. “[The eagle] is currently in quarantine right now.”
Ironically, the suspect attempting to take the eagle might have boosted its chances of survival as it prompted police to intervene.
“Probably, it would have starved. It was thin. It probably would have succumbed to its injury eventually,” Hope said. “Our goal, obviously, is to get him back to the wild. It may not happen in a week or two. It may be months down the road, but, you know, he’s alive, which is half the battle.”
Anyone with information about the incident – or any other incident involving wildlife or pollution – should contact the Conservation Officer Service’s hotline at 1-877-952-7277.
Anytime people spot a sick or injured raptor in Metro Vancouver, they should report it to OWL at 604-946-3171.
