The Bald and the Beautiful

Happy Independence Day!  Today America celebrates its 244th birthday (Fun Fact: 18 of those years have been since March).  It's as good of a time as any to also celebrate a common feature of many of our zoos, our national bird.

Unlike zoos of the most, almost all of the animals that you see in modern zoos were born under human care.  One frequent exception is the bald eagle.  In fact, zoos and aquariums are not permitted to breed this species in their facilities.  That decision comes down from the US Fish and Wildlife Agency, which owns not all of the live bald eagles that you see in American zoos, but also all of the bodies and parts of deceased birds as well.

Every bald eagle that you see in an American zoo got there after it was deemed non-releasable in the wild.  Maybe it got hit by a car, zapped by a power line, or wounded by a hunter (highly illegal).  To house an eagle, a zoo must apply for a permit that attests to their willingness to keep USFWS informed of any changes in the bird's status, provide educational opportunities to the public, and provide good care.  There is also a prohibition on doing anything that would imply that the bird is a personal pet or used for commercial use.  The permit must be renewed every three years, with an annual report submitted to make sure that all birds are accounted for.

Zoos don't always do the best job of conveying to the public the stories behind their birds.  At every facility I've worked at with the species, I've heard visitors complain that the birds don't have room to fly - even though almost none of the birds can fly.  The eagles are usually some of my least favorite animals to care for.  Since they were all wild-born and brought under human care as adults, they remain very fearful of humans and seldom calm down.  As a result, I make of point of going in and out as quickly and quietly as possible trying to avoid disturbing them.

Working with eagles has kind of shattered some of their mystique for me.  I have a hard time thinking of them as fierce and majestic when I see them hopping around making their ridiculous chicken-clucking noise.  In the wild, they love to loiter around dumpsters.  Maybe we should have gone with a different national bird.  Maybe the whooping crane?  Those things are beautiful, majestic, and they will gut you like a fish if you look at them the wrong way...