Golden eagle takes flight after stay at Hope for Wildlife

After weeks of rehab at Hope For Wildlife, a golden eagles takes flight.

After a lengthy stay at Hope for Wildlife in Nova Scotia, a golden eagle flew the coop on Thursday.

The eagle, which was found on the ground and unwilling to fly in Prince Edward Island, came to Hope for Wildlife in Seaforth last November.

“On arrival, he looked really strong, alert, everything seemed quite normal,” said Hope Swinimer, founder of Hope for Wildlife. “We did blood work. We really couldn’t find anything wrong with him.”

The bird spent two weeks in the ICU before moving to the flight cage. Swinimer said he “flew beautifully,” so they decided he was ready to leave.

“We’ve been looking forward to this,” she said. “Normally we take the animals back where they came from, but because golden eagles aren’t from around here, we thought it’d be good to release him at the farm.”

Swinimer is hopeful they will see the bird around the farm for the next few days before it fully moves on.

“I think his chances are good,” she said. “They’re used to the cold, so the weather is not an issue. He’s just a youngster.”