Injured eagle leaves Sisters for zoo school

Shannon LaMonica holds her new student, a young golden eagle. photo by Jim Anderson A three-year-old golden eagle that had been struck by a motor vehicle and brought to Gary Landers of Sisters has been sent to school at the Oregon Zoo in Portland.

Landers, who operates a raptor rehabilitation facility near Sisters, received the eagle from the Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife (ODFW) after it was found injured alongside the road.

The eagle suffered severe head and wing damage, but in spite of the injuries recovered almost completely -- except it was blind in one eye. An eagle with only one eye in the wild wouldn't have much of a chance for survival, so Landers, with the cooperation of ODFW and U.S. Fish & Wildlife, decided against euthanizing the eagle and looked into locating an educational facility that would take the bird.

After an extensive search of several zoos and educational institutions throughout the U.S. that utilized wildlife, the Oregon Zoo in Portland responded and sent Cathi Wright, Program Coordinator, and Shannon LaMonica, Educational Assistant, over to Sisters to pick up the eagle.

The eagle would have been euthanized immediately if it hadn't been for the expert repair work carried out by Dr. Little Leidblad, veterinarian of Broken Top Veterinary Service.

"Dr. Liedblad is an exceptional vet," Landers said while discussing the injuries the eagle suffered. "She really knows what she's doing, and does everything she can to make things right."

The zoo will be a good home for the eagle.

"It's the best place for an eagle that is as beautiful and as gentle as this bird is," Landers said, as he entered the flight cage.

"You can see how well he flies, and how he has already compensated for his blind right eye," he indicated as the eagle flew back and forth in the flight cage, landing on perches with only slight difficulty. "But while it's one thing to compensate for its handicap in a flight cage, it's another thing entirely out in the wild, and especially trying to catch a speeding jackrabbit."

"Oh, this bird will fit into our educational program perfectly," said Cathi Wright, as she and her assistant, Shannon, watched the eagle fly.

Once the eagle gets accustomed to its new environment in the Oregon Zoo, it will undergo extensive training and will eventually provide zoo visitors with a close-up view of a full-grown golden eagle zooming over their heads at the command of its trainers.