A motorist who thought he was rescuing a dead bald eagle from the side of Highway 97 got a huge fright when he found out it was alive and well in the back of his van.
100 Mile House RCMP said the man had put the bird, which he believed had been struck by a car, into his vehicle intending to take it to the local Conservation office in 100 Mile. As he got into town, the apparently concussed bird awoke and “scared the life” out of him, Staff-Sgt. Svend Nielsen said in a news release.
The driver headed straight for the RCMP detachment and met an officer coming on duty, who carefully looked into the van, took some photos of the bird and contacted Conservation Office Joel Kline.
Kline arrived shortly after to retrieve the and placed it into a kennel. Nielsen said the eagle in the kennel was “very much alive and likely very upset.”
Kline was planning to have the eagle checked by a veterinarian and then airlifted down to a rehabilitation facility down in the Lower Mainland.
The RCMP reminded the public to be cautious about approaching any wild animal that appears deceased on the highway. Contact the Conservation Office hotline at 1-877-855-3222 or contact the local RCMP Detachment prior to approaching the animal.
