Heroes Rescue Eagle, Hawks, Owls and Release Back into the Wild

As we commemorate Earth Day, why not share three tales of rescue and release of some New York's beautiful wildlife.

DEC officers made 2 rescues on the same weekend. Jeff Krueger responded to a call of a great horned owl in a chicken coop in the town of Newfield. Krueger found the owl with a broken wing still in the coop where it had killed a domestic duck.  Veterinarians think the bird had suffered the injury earlier and was using the coop for easy hunting.  Meanwhile, Officers Matt Foster and Greg Maneeley had a little tougher chore rescuing a bald eagle on the Oswego River. The eagle had been seen sitting on low branches of a tree for three days without moving. With the help of the Oswego City Fire Department, they capture the eagle using a boat and approaching it from the tree.  Both birds were taken to a rehabilitator.

New York State Trooper Kim Colton of the Junius Ponds Post had a perilous rescue as well. She saved a red tail hawk after it was struck by a vehicle. All while dealing with traffic on the New York State Thruway.

Lt. David McShane and ECO Don Damrath had the enviable task of releasing three raptors back into the wild. Three young red-tailed hawks were reintroduced after rehabilitation from injuries and disease.

It's good to see the story come full circle, from rescue to rehabilitation, to freedom.