iN VIDEO: Injured eagle takes to the Shuswap skies once more

After almost three months in rehab, a female bald eagle has once again taken to the skies thanks to the efforts of those who came to her rescue.

The large eight-year-old female took flight, June 5, in Malakwa, and wasted no time heading back to the skies and her natural habitat.

"The cage was just rocking… she just wanted to get out of there," Vernon resident Gary Turner told iNFOnews.ca.

Turner has been rescuing raptors for the last 20 years and got the call about the distressed eagle March 15.

Suffering from a broken leg probably caused by being hit by a vehicle, the injured bald eagle was spotted by a Lower Mainland resident on the side of Highway 1 outside Malakwa. The woman, who happened to be a veterinary assistant, picked the eagle up, tracked down Turner, and drove it to his Vernon home. From there, Turner took the eagle to the airport, and it made its way to the OWL Orphaned Wildlife Rehabilitation Society in Delta.

OWL raptor care manager Rob Hope said without the intervention of the passing driver, the chances of the eagle surviving were "slim to none."

After almost three months at the wildlife rehabilitation centre and with its leg now fully healed, the bird was brought back to the Shuswap for its release.

"The trials and tribulations you go through to look after them and transport them, it's all worthwhile when you let them go and see them fly like that," Turner said.

Turner said the eagle was very eager to be back in the wild after being cooped up and getting treatment and shouldn't have any issues adapting to life back in the wild.

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