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Rehabilitated
raptor gets a second chance at MDC Pikes Camp Wilderness Area.
COLUMBIA,
Mo. – After
almost three months at a local raptor rehabilitation center, and unfazed by
rainy spring weather, an adult female bald eagle successfully took flight this
weekend at the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) Pikes Camp Access on
the Osage River in Cole County. The University of Missouri (MU) Raptor Rehabilitation
Project partnered with MDC to release the wild bird on public land Saturday, March
25.
Conservation Agent Chris Horn recovered the eagle with
an injured talon in December 2016, and protected her until she could be
transferred to the care of MU Raptor Rehabilitation Project staff in Columbia. Rogue
made a speedy recovery and after several test flights in a 160-foot flight
cage, was banded for tracking and brought to Pikes Camp River Access to return
to the wild with a new lease on life.
“Rogue did amazingly well during her rehabilitation,”
said Raptor Rehabilitation Project Manager Abby Rainwater. “When she came to
our facility, she was so weak from her injury she was unable to fly. With a
treatment plan and physical therapy, and with determination, she proved to us
she has the strength and skill needed to be released back into the wild.”
Staff at MU’s Raptor Rehabilitation Project put a
tracking band on Rogue’s ankle so that scientists can continue to monitor her
progress in the wild and add to the growing bank of data MDC keeps on bald
eagles.
These raptors once found themselves on the brink of
extinction due to habitat loss and degradation, illegal shooting, and pesticide
poisoning. Today, these iconic birds are recovering and returning to their
native habitat in Missouri.
“The public plays a critical role in providing
information to us on eagle nesting sites across the state,” said MDC Resource
Scientist Janet Haslerig. “During the spring of 2016, statewide surveys
documented 284 active eagle nests in Missouri, and through a recent flurry of
enthusiastic responses for public reporting, that number is expected to
increase considerably.”
Thanks to decades of dedicated work by scientists and
citizen-science contributions alike, as well as effective protective
regulations at the state and federal levels, America’s national bird is
experiencing resurgence. Missouri’s woods and river banks once again provide
prime habitat and opportunities to observe these powerful raptors in their
natural environment.
“Being able to help restore such a majestic creature
back to the wild is a really wonderful thing,” said Cole County Conservation
Agent Chris Horn. “I encourage the public to continue to support conservation
of our wildlife and natural resources. Public cooperation and the work of the
MU Raptor Rehabilitation program are prime examples of the public taking a
stand for wildlife. As a conservation agent, I am proud to have been a part of
this awesome moment.”
MDC makes information on bald eagles publicly available
and continues to work to protect the species so that future generations of
Missourians may continue to enjoy watching them nest in our woods and feed in
our rivers and fields.
Learn more about bald eagles, and find places to watch
them in the wild through MDC’s online Field Guide at https://nature.mdc.mo.gov/discover-nature/field-guide/bald-eagle.
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