Have you ever seen a bald eagle in the back of a police car?
This one didn’t end up there because it did anything wrong. Imagine how crazy it would be though if our national bird got booked for breaking the law…
The bald eagle in this footage was just trying to live its life and unfortunately got hit by a Jeep that was driving down the interstate. Why the bird was flying so low is unknown, but considering that bald eagles are opportunistic feeders, there’s a chance it was swooping down to check out some road kill.
After all, bald eagles are sometimes referred to as a “vulture with a good PR agent.” This bird didn’t need help from a PR agent though, but rather from a Florida State Trooper that was passing by after it got hit by a car.
Dash cam video shows the police officer slowing down and reporting the big bird that was standing on the shoulder of the road. The trooper explored options of aid to the bald eagle for a while, eventually getting out of his car and walking up to the bird to try and pick it up.
Even though it was hurt, the bald eagle wasn’t a huge fan of that idea. But after a number of attempts, the bird finally gave in and allowed for the state trooper to pick it up (at one point digging its talons into the man’s arm). Footage shows the man “bear hugging” the bald eagle as he walks it to his patrol car, then placing the majestic bird into the backseat.
The Florida State Trooper then took the bald eagle to animal control, where it was examined for injuries. Remarkably, after getting hit by a car, the bird did not suffer from any broken bones. That was good news for the bald eagle, because its minor injuries meant that it would be able to be released back into the wild after its recovery.
After spending some time healing up at the Audubon Center for Birds of Prey, the bald eagle was eventually allowed to fly free once more. If you ask me, that’s one tough bird, and one that I’m glad represents the country we live in.
