Grounded bald eagle proves difficult to capture, repeatedly evading rescue worker's nets

A pair of hikers encountered a strange sight in Truckee, California. Not only was there a bald eagle in their path, but they also discovered the bird was grounded and unable to fly.

What happened?

The hikers alertly called for assistance, leading Placer County Animal Services and wildlife specialist Ben Nuckolls of California Wildlife Encounters to intervene, KCRA 3 reported.

The station shared footage of their attempts within the Sawtooth National Recreation Area to capture the bird with nets. 

Despite its inability to fly, the proud eagle was difficult to capture. It was still able to run and gamely avoided the nets for a time. Fortunately, the rescuers were eventually able to secure the bird and transport it for care to Gold Country Wildlife Rescue.

"It's not a very common patient for us," Christy Berger of Gold Country Wildlife Rescue told KCRA.

Interestingly, Berger added the bald eagle seemed to be in "pretty good" shape. "He's not super skinny or anything like that," she said. "No physical trauma that we can tell."

Why is this struggling bald eagle important?

Bald eagles face risks from a number of threats. Berger told KCRA that one of the culprits is lead poisoning, which can come from ammunition, fishing tackle, and prey.

Rodenticide is another threat that can affect bald eagles. Other problems include vehicle strikes and unlawful hunting.

These dangers can undo the heartening amount of progress in bringing the United States' de facto national bird back from the brink. Protection measures and a ban on DDT have helped the great comeback effort reach all around the nation.

As great a story as it's been, this shows that the birds still face omnipresent threats that aren't necessarily immediately apparent.

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What's being done about the bald eagle in Truckee?

Gold Country Wildlife Rescue collaborated with Bird of Prey Health Group specialists to diagnose the eagle's condition and examine its overall health.

"He's getting some testing for any toxicity," Berger said. "... Regardless of what it is, different treatments can be provided."

The wildlife rescue was set to work to rehabilitate the eagle so it could fly and return it to its natural habitat.

Some broader steps that conservationists can take to protect bald eagles include banning lead ammunition in hunting and phasing out rodenticide use, especially in the wild.

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