Advertisement

Brothers Snap Selfie After Freeing Bald Eagle

Brothers Snap Selfie After Freeing Bald Eagle

Two brothers released a trapped bald eagle after coming across it on a drive in rural Canada.

Michael and Neil Fletcher from Chelmsford, Ontario, were hunting grouse to shoot at Windy Lake in the state when they saw the huge bird flapping around.

The pair told the Sudbury Star newspaper they contemplated contacting the authorities but decided it would be quicker and better to release the animal straight away.

Michael told the paper: "We saw some movement, walked in a bit, and the bald eagle was stuck there in a trap."

"It was attached to a stake and the eagle was trying to fly up, but it only had a foot of slack in the chain," he added.

He said he took off his hooded top and put it over the eagle's head which allowed them to press the release mechanism on the trap.

"Me and my brother just kind of held onto it, and it calmed right down," he said.

He told the paper it did not appear to be injured and may not have been there very long.

But Michael was certain that if they had not freed it, it could have been attacked by another predator common to the area like a coyote.

After taking some pictures including a selfie, they gave the bird a push and it flew off into a nearby tree.

The pictures and some video footage of the rescue was posted to Michael Fletcher's open Facebook page.

When they contacted the government department responsible for the forests, the Sudbury Sun said the officials thanked them for freeing it, and said they would be contacting the trapper to make sure he sets his traps differently.

Under Ontario's regulations, local authorities can license hunters to set traps to deal with "furbearing mammals within their municipal boundaries".

Animals which can be hunted include beavers, some wild cats, coyotes, foxes, otters and wolves.

The bald eagle - so called because of the white plumage on its head - is a threatened species.

Although it is the national bird of the USA, it is native to much of North America and one of the continent's largest birds of prey.