CliffordK

I can't imagine that one not being put down, although if it was healthy enough, perhaps the beak could be repaired. Then there are some birds deemed healthy enough to live in captivity, but not healthy enough to be returned to the wild.

About 25 years ago I caught a Golden Eagle.

I was horseback riding near Black Butte with my parents when we found the bird hopping around. My parents recognized that it was in trouble, and we all decided that I should catch it.

Not that I really knew much about catching apex birds of prey. But, I could catch livestock.

I was given a Pendleton shirt, and a pair of gloves. I cornered it threw the shirt over it and wrapped it up. Most amazing thing. The eagle just fell into a deep sleep without any struggle. We carried it down the mountain horseback, and the eagle was so still, we had to check that we weren't carrying a dead bird down the mountain. The horses didn't care either.

A couple of phone calls and we handed it off to a vet that routed it to the local Raptor Center.

As I understand it, the bird likely had been shot in the wing. It had been a couple of weeks, so the wing was healing, but not straight enough to ever fly. So, the raptor center repaired the bones, and I lost track of it afterwards. Perhaps I should try to follow up someday.

The bird was reasonably healthy, and it was believed that it had a mate that was helping it eat.