A duo of bald eagles got entangled in Surrey, B.C., necessitating the assistance of power and fire crews to rescue them with the aid of a local wildlife rehabilitation organization. The Orphaned Wildlife Rehabilitation Society, located in nearby Delta, B.C., explained in a social media update that the eagles got ensnared in a power line above a residential street on Sunday while engaged in a scuffle.
Images shared by the society depict the eagles’ legs entwined in the power line, hanging upside down, facing each other with their wings spread out. A video of the rescue operation shows three individuals in the fire department’s ladder bucket approaching the entangled birds.
During the rescue, one person began untangling the wires while another, wearing protective gloves, clapped to startle the eagles in opposite directions. The birds appeared unharmed following the ordeal.
The society noted that bald eagles commonly engage in fights to defend their nests or offspring during this time of the year, and reuniting the eagles with their respective young was deemed the best possible outcome.
B.C. Hydro confirmed that its crews promptly de-energized the line upon being alerted to the situation on Sunday to facilitate a safe rescue operation. Surrey Fire Services collaborated with the bird rescue group, deploying a team member up a ladder to carefully free the eagles. Once the eagles were separated, they both flew away immediately, unscathed.
