Carmacks Juvenile Bald Eagle Recovery

2.5 minute read – 

On November 27th another juvenile bald eagle made it way back to the wild, eagerly. A public release occurred with a very small group helping send it off. 

On November 9th, A juvenile bald eagle was found struggling, entangled in barbed wire fencing in Carmacks. It was found thanks to Bob’s dogs, who alerted him of the eagle stuck. Bob is a resident of Carmacks and would not have noticed the bird, behind a large shed, had it not been for his dogs. He managed to remove the bird from the fencing. He dropped to the ground and wasn’t flying away after free. Bob approached it again and noticed it was shivering and lethargic. 

Bob called local Conservation Officer, Blake Vandecamp who eventually had the bird brought into care of the Wildlife Preserve’s Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre. 

The eagle weighed only 4kg and had some minor laceration injury to the wing and some swelling in the feet (likely due to the talons being caught up in the fencing. Like the Dawson City eagle, it was very happy to eat, and successfully captured live quail. Shortly before release the bird weighed 5.2kg. 

The choice to release it more locally was for a few reasons, including it being a juvenile and underweight possibly indicating unsuccessful hunting in the area it was found. While we generally try to rerelease in the location found, during winter we have elected to release where there are other known successful groups of eagles. 

On November 27th, 2024, at 5.2kg in weight and less than a month in our care, the juvenile bald eagle was returned to the wild, at Chasàn Chùa (McIntyre Creek). Further, transport of an eagle long distances can be challenging due to limited personal to arrange this and it can add additional stress to the bird that we want to avoid if possible. While we are helping the animal while in our care, the animal doesn’t necessarily see it this way and it can be a stressful time. Just consider how you feel when you’re out of your comfort zone, your regular routines interrupted and you’re in an unfamiliar place while also  possibly sick or injured. 

Several groups of bald eagle, mostly mature but a few immature are seen right near the release location. 📸L.Caskenette

A Facebook live video of the full release can also be viewed here! 

Help us get them back on their wings. We could use your help. If you are able to support the care of these two animals, please consider donating. Every contribution makes a difference and as a non-profit charitable organization, you can receive a charitable tax receipt for your support. 

Photo credit: L. Caskenette