An incredible slow-motion video shows a bald eagle taking to the air again after it suffered a broken wing when it was shot by hunters and saved by a kindhearted Canadian veterinarian.
Dr. Cliff Andrew Redford, of Toronto, said the bird of prey was accidentally shot while the hunters were firing at ducks.
The experienced vet and animal rights advocate said: “The bald eagle was shot by hunters accidentally. They were shooting at ducks when, according to them, the eagle swooped in and was struck.”
The bald eagle was accidentally shot by hunters in Pefferlaw, Ontario. @drcliffworldwidevet/Zen
“She crashed to the ground where she likely broke her humerus upon impact. The hunters collected her and brought her to the wildlife rescue center I volunteer at. It’s called Shades of Hope Wildlife rehab. They’re located one hour north of Toronto in a town called Pefferlaw.
“The surgery took 90 minutes and she needed eight weeks before we could remove all the pins, another two months of physiotherapy, and then two months flight training.”
The footage shows Redford caring for the injured bird and helping it with its flight training.
He told Zenger News: “I’ve always loved animals and been fascinated with their physiology and health. I was the kid who would constantly bring home injured or orphaned animals and would refuse to kill spiders, instead of picking them up and carrying them outside. Makes sense as I am also a vegetarian.”
Redford, the owner of Wellington Veterinary Hospital, added: “I’ve been a vet since 1998, half of my life. I volunteer one day every week at a wildlife rehab clinic, plus I volunteer around the world for 60 days per year. So I rescue and treat around 1,000 animals per year.”
A bald eagle in Canada recently made the news for an entirely different reason: trying to snatch a tiny Yorkshire terrier pup named Coco off a porch in Prince Rupert, British Columbia. Luckily for Coco, she managed to get out of the eagle’s talons and ran back to safety inside the house.Footage from a security camera captured the scary moment, stunning its thousands of viewers. According to The Spruce Pets, small dogs and puppies, particularly toy or miniature breeds, are among the most at risk of being attacked by a bird of prey.
The bald eagle is the national bird and symbol for the United States, and the U.S. Department of the Interior estimated in 2021 that there were 316,700 bald eagles across the lower 48 states, and upwards of 70,000 in Alaska.
British Columbia, where Coco was attacked, is home to the largest population of the big bird in Canada, with an estimated 20,000.