A man who helped rescue an injured eagle two years ago on Fogo Island and thought it was living its life out in a wildlife sanctuary in Nova Scotia, was upset to learn recently the bird had been put down by wildlife officials.
Rick Brown of Mount Pearl, a crew member on the Fogo Island ferry run, said in August 2018 an eagle with a broken wing was discovered near the Man O’ War landing where the ferry docks on Fogo Island.
The eagle couldn’t fly so crew members, wharf workers and local residents began feeding the bird that affectionately became known as “Veteran.”
Brown said concern for the eagle grew and crew members decided to capture the bird.
With some frozen moose meat they lured Veteran in close and captured the bird in a dip net.
“When we got him aboard, I looked in his eyes and said, ‘You’re OK now. We’ll look after it’,” Brown said.
Brown said he then got in touch with the Gander and Area SPCA about options for the eagle. The injuries to its wing were severe.
Residents, meanwhile, made calls to the Department of Environment and Wildlife, but no one was sent to retrieve it.
Brown then learned that Hope For Wildlife, an animal rescue organization in Nova Scotia, was interested in taking the injured bird and nursing it back to health, to used it as a teaching bird.
“They were very interested to come and get the bird,” he said.
Brown calls himself an animal lover. He helps run the Purfect Purrs Cat Rescue in Mount Pearl.
Recently, he began inquiring about Veteran.
On Aug. 21 he was told by the Department of Environment and Wildlife that the eagle had to be euthanized by wildlife officials because its injuries were so bad it could not be rehabilitated.
Veteran had never made it to Nova Scotia.
Brown said that was not what he nor the Fogo residents who helped care for the bird in the beginning were led to believe.
“It’s just heartbreaking,” Brown said. “We’re just looking for some answers. I don’t want this to be happening to another bird.”
According to a statement from the Department of Fisheries, Forestry and Agriculture, provincial SPCAs do not have the legal authority to possess or rehabilitate wildlife.
As such, a conservation officer retrieved the eagle and brought it to the Salmonier Nature Park where it would be cared for by animal health-care staff with the goal of it eventually being transported to Nova Scotia.
The park frequently takes in wildlife that may cause a public safety concern or circumstances dictate an animal’s removal from an area.
The number of animals the park receives varies depending on the year, but they mostly get avian species. So far in 2020, the park has received 13 birds and one orphaned otter pup.
The chances of Veteran ever being released back into the wild were slim. A former veterinarian had checked out the bird, Brown said, and felt the wing was too badly damaged to ever heal properly.
“Unfortunately, follow-up health assessments completed by a departmental animal health veterinarian, and consultations with Hope for Wildlife, determined that the extent of the injuries were too severe for rehabilitation or transfer of the eagle,” the department spokesperson wrote in an emailed statement. “Euthanizing the eagle was the most humane and appropriate action.
“Animal Health and Wildlife Division staff handled the injured eagle in a professional and humane manner at all times.”
Nicholas Mercer is a local journalism initiative reporter covering central Newfoundland for SaltWire Network.
