Trish sent in the following story on an unusual transport – for a bald eagle. She is a wildlife rehabilitator in NY and works with a group called North Country Wild Care, a non-profit group of home based wildlife rehabilitators and others who support them located in upstate NY.

“We got an eagle transferred from another rehabber in late April, he came in dehydrated with a wing injury, collapsed lung, a cataract and wounds in multiple areas. He has been cared for by Dr. Joy Lucas at Upstate animal Medical Center in Saratoga since he arrived. Today he is on his way to Dollywood (Save the American Eagle Foundation) in Tennessee, they work closely with the University of Tennessee veterinary hospital, where hopefully they will be able to repair some of the tendon damage to his wing.

We contacted Pilots n Paws and were able to post a request for a transport for this eagle (dubbed “Troy” by Dr. Lucas). Several of their pilots responded and we finally made arrangements with pilot, Jim Covington who generously donated his time, plane and flying expertise. This has been a long process and we cannot thank everyone involved enough, while we would always prefer to return the animals back into the wild, we feel certain that Troy will be well cared for at his new home. Huge thanks to Wes Laraway and Kelly Martin for transferring him, Dr. Lucas for caring for him, Pilots n Paws and Jim Covington for being the wind beneath his wings, and thanks to Saratoga and Gatlinburg airports for waving the landing fees, this was truly a group effort.

Thanks again, you made his journey much more pleasant and a lot less stressful for our national emblem.”

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