Bald eagle rescued from storm drain has died, Audubon says

Female eagle recovering from fight, storm drain rescue

ORLANDO, Fla. – A bald eagle whose rescue out of a storm drain last week captured the nation’s attention died Monday night, the Audubon Center for Birds of Prey said.

“Our team, along with Dr. Robert Hess and the staff at the Winter Park Veterinary Hospital made every attempt to save this beautiful bird,” Katie Warner, director of the Audubon Center for Birds of Prey, told WKMG-TV

The eagle was taken to the Audubon Center for Birds of Prey after getting being trapped in a storm drain after it had an altercation with another eagle over a territory fight. The first eagle flew away and the second was removed by firefighters and taken to the center.

“We’re going to continue educating the community on why we must conserve Florida’s environment to help prevent the loss of our nation’s symbol of freedom. We’d like to thank the community for the outpouring of support, Warner said.

Over the weekend, the eagle's condition started to decline and showed signs of paralysis and its blood values dropped, the center said.

On Monday, the eagle was placed in critical condition, but died overnight. 


About the Authors

Erik von Ancken anchors and reports for News 6 and is a two-time Emmy award-winning journalist in the prestigious and coveted "On-Camera Talent" categories for both anchoring and reporting.

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