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EaglesPosted on Monday, June 16, 2008 at 9:41 PM - Post CommentOne of the very first Bald Eagles that came into Florida Wild Mammal this spring was this 10 week old Eaglet. He had fallen from the nest and came into the center weak and too young to fly. ~ He was an absolute beauty and once he was stable, we knew we would have to send him away. FWMA doesn't have a flight pen large enough to be able to keep these beautiful birds. They need a great deal of space to learn how to fly....these guys have a massive 6-8ft wingspan!Building a pen large enough for them is not a cheap project! ~ Telling this beauty goodbye was difficult. All of the Eagles that come through the center get transferred to other facilities across the state and when it's time for release, they get released there. But this big boy got lucky and was eventually brought back here for release. ~ He was transferred to the Wildlife Sanctuary of Northwest Florida in Pensacola - where he attended, you got it....Flight School! ~ This sanctuary has a wonderful flight pen - just perfect for conditioning a young eagle for release! ~ He spent several months here learning how to be an eagle and when it was time to be released, this sanctuary asked if we wanted him returned to our county! Of course, we said YES!!! ~ They drove over 200 miles to bring our boy home and it was a goosebumply experience having the priviledge to watch the release! (And even better because an article about the release made the front page of our local newspaper - bringing attention to the plight of these injured and orphaned birds to the public!) ~ That Eagle tale had a very happy ending! But there have been 5 other eagles brought into the center so far this year. Three of them were transferred out right away, but two remain. ~ This young Eagle came in weak, dehydrated and too young to fly with an eye injury. She is doing well and will be leaving us soon.
~ This big guy was was brought in with a terrible injury in his mouth. He's already undergone one surgery and is still recovering. ~ He is starting to heal and acts like he's feeling better! When he's ready to be released, we'll have to send him away to a facility with a flight pen and let me tell you, after everything we've been through with this bird, it's going to be hard to say goodbye to him! We'd much rather see him flying free here in Wakulla County! ~ Back in the spring, a friend to FWMA passed away. It was his hopes that a flight cage for large bird could be built and to this end, he bequeathed some funds to help get this project started. Many of his friends and family also contributed to the fund, however, a flight cage of the size is not a cheap undertaking and even though the labor and equipment have been donated, materials to build the cage are costly. ~ FWMA is currently seeking donations to help make this flight pen a reality! If you would like to help - no amount is too small - please make your check out to FWMA and send to:
Please make a notation that it's for the Eagle Flight Pen! Or you can send a donation through Paypal. Also make a note that it's for the Flight Pen! Please send to: choppaotta@aol.com ~ You can be sure this blog will be updated with the progress of the flight pen - as it's being built and as it gets used to help return our raptors to freedom! Special thanks to Barbara Shugar for providing the pictures of the flight pen at the Wildlife Sanctuary of Northwest Florida and to the staff of WSNF allowing us to photograph the pen!
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