Like so many of us, Doug Hay loves animals. That said, very few of us have proven that love quite like he did. One day, Doug and his wife were sitting in their living room. The sound of a loud crash caught their attention. Looking outside, they discovered a bald eagle in the nearby lake. Another eagle was circling above, making it seem that the two were fighting. Because Doug knows that bald eagles can’t swim, he immediately began a rescue mission.
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According to the 70-year-old man, he did not hesitate for a second to help this bald eagle. He simply threw off his shirt and flip flops then dove into the water. He even threw his phone on the ground. Luckily, Doug’s wife thought to pick up his phone so she could capture his heroic moment. Check it out in the video below!
@cbsnews A Florida man rescued an injured bald eagle after jumping into an alligator-inhabited lake in Lakewood Ranch last week. Doug Hay, 70, was able to retrieve the eagle and bring it to land on April 19 before it was reportedly transferred to a wildlife center in Venice, Florida, where veterinarians found an "open hole " in its thoracic cavity and said the bird would need weeks to recover. #lakewoodranch #florida #venice #baldeagle #eagle ♬ original sound – cbsnews
The lake presented itself to be quite the challenge. It’s about 100 yards in length, and the eagle was said to be “smack in the middle of it.” Plus, a 7-foot-gator is known to live here. Though, Doug says he “wasn’t too concerned about the gator.”
This 70-Year-Old Man Manages to Rescue an Injured Bald Eagle, Saving Their Life
What he was concerned about, however, was the state of this bald eagle. When Doug got a hold of the injured bird, they did fight back a bit. But the bird’s talons only caused a few scratches. The biggest challenge was making it back to shore without losing stamina.
Thankfully, Dough was able to make it back, bald eagle in hand. Once on shore, he monitored the bird until the Wildlife Center of Southwest Florida in Venice arrived. They confirmed the bird has an open hole close to the thoracic cavity. So, it’ll take quite a few weeks to heal. It goes to show that Doug truly did save this bird’s life.
“This is the symbol of America man,” Doug says.
You can find the source of this story’s featured image here!
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