An Army veteran in Minnesota who saw an eagle dangling from a tree with a rope wrapped around its foot freed the bird with some help from a neighbor's .22-caliber rifle.
Jason Galvin's wife shared the story on Facebook with pictures of the rescue.
Galvin's wife, Jackie, said he called the sheriff's office, city hall, the fire department, the Department of Natural Resources conservation office and the University of Minnesota Raptor Center, only to be told that they were aware of the bird. They told the Galvins that the eagle had been there for more than 2 days and was dead.
Jackie, who said she didn't believe the story, said she talked Jason into shooting the animal free.
The former Army veteran used a .22-caliber rifle with a scope and took about 150 shots over about 90 minutes. The eagle was eventually freed, and Jason managed not to hit the bird during the rescue.
The eagle fell into the woods below and was transported to the Raptor Center. Jackie wrote that the bird is expected to recover.