Injured bald eagle Buddy from P.E.I. finds new home at Nova Scotia wildlife rehab centre | 24CA News

A bald eagle from Prince Edward Island is settling in at his new residence on the Hope for Wildlife rehabilitation and training centre close to Halifax, N.S.

It is the tip of a really lengthy journey for Eagle 450 — or Buddy, as he was affectionately dubbed by workers and college students on the Atlantic Veterinary College in Charlottetown.

That’s the place he was introduced in October 2021, exhibiting indicators of significant accidents.

“He was presumably hit by a car and had severe injuries to the head. And then we discovered a spinal fracture after we did a CT. He had surgery about a month later,” stated Fiep de Bie, a wildlife technician with the AVC Wildlife Service, who has been caring for the eagle since he arrived. 

“He was able to stand within a week after the surgery, which was wonderful. This is a groundbreaking surgery. It’s the second one in the world that we know of, so this was quite an achievement.”

But Buddy had ended up with long-term injury that made it unimaginable to launch him into the wild, so the Wildlife Service wanted to search out him a brand new residence.

The AVC partnered with Hope for Wildlife within the Nova Scotia group of Seaforth to construct a brand new enclosure to turn into his endlessly residence.

‘See you later’

A bunch of workers and college students from the AVC drove Buddy to Nova Scotia on Friday to assist together with his transition to his new residence.

“It’s one of those things: We’re sad to see them go, but we’re happy for them in the long run to make sure that they can live their best life moving forward,” stated senior veterinary pupil Dillon Scott. 

Mi’kmaw elder Junior Peter-Paul carried out The Eagle Song for the group earlier than the eagle’s departure from Charlottetown Friday morning. 

“Good-byes are not a thing to us as Mi’kmaw people,” he stated. “I’d much rather say, ‘Ne’multes — See you later.'”

Four hours later, the eagle arrived at his new residence. 

The introduction went higher than anticipated. 

“Wonderful. It was a bit surprising. I was like, ‘Oh, he’s going to walk around and sit for a while and look around,'” de Bie stated. 

“But no, he started flapping his big wings, and went straight onto the perch. So that was really nice to to see.”

The ones which can be perhaps extra heartbreaking are those the place you do not have this implausible endpoint.— Dr. Lara Cusack

The enclosure contains areas the place he can bathe within the rain, and get pure daylight.

“The ones that are maybe more heartbreaking are the ones where you don’t have this fantastic endpoint,” stated the AVC’s Dr. Lara Cusack.

She described herself as “a little bit sad to see him go, but I would be much more upset if I didn’t have the opportunity to transition him into a permanent home that is where he should be.”

Story might be shared

Buddy now takes on a brand new function as ambassador, with his story giving guests a deeper understanding of the challenges bald eagles face within the wild. 

“Most of the animals that come to us, come to us because they’ve been injured by human interactions,” stated Hope Swinimer, who based Hope for Wildlife greater than twenty years in the past.

“So by being able to show the public these animals and share their stories, they will become more aware of what they can do to help. 

“In reality, one of many principal causes we get wildlife in [is when they] are hit by vehicles. So simply bringing that to individuals’s consideration, ensuring they’re conscious to decelerate at daybreak and nightfall — little factors like that, all of them go a protracted method to serving to us stay extra comfortably with our wild world.”

Swinimer said they will monitor how Buddy is adapting to his new home, and will gradually allow visitors, starting slowly at first.

It makes them actually respect the great thing about their pure world and hopefully make some care extra about their pure world.— Hope Swinimer

“We really feel a giant part of what we do is training, and for individuals to have the chance to stand up shut and private and see the great thing about a few of these lovely animals,” she stated. 

“I believe it is actually essential and it reconnects them in a very, actually delicate approach.

“It makes them really appreciate the beauty of their natural world and hopefully make some care more about their natural world.”