A man has been arrested after allegedly stealing a juvenile eagle from Vancouver's Stanley Park for a feathery feast.
The bird was saved from becoming a meal, and is now recovering from its injuries.
"An unusual rescue over the weekend when an injured eagle landed on the Lions Gate Bridge during rush hour," the West Vancouver Police Department wrote in a post on X. "WVPD & [the Vancouver Police Department] teamed up to safely capture this beautiful creature and bring it to [Orphaned Wildlife Rehabilitation Society] where it will be nursed back to health."
According to the North Shore News, the incident took place on Saturday January 4. Following reports of a man carrying an eagle on the Lions Gate Bridge, police leapt into action and arrived on scene a short time later.
"During the arrest, the eagle jumped down from the man’s arm, landing on the bridge deck. The eagle then leapt up to the roof of a police cruiser," WVPD's Sgt. Chris Bigland said. "After some moments, the injured bird attempted to fly away but could not sustain flight. Our officers located the bird beneath Lions Gate Bridge without further injury."
Earlier in the day, OWL was informed by someone in Stanley Park of the injured eagle's existence. Without personnel to come up and take care of it, however, the bird remained in its resting place.
Witnesses who saw the suspect grab the eagle said he allegedly declared he was going to cook and eat it. Mental health was suspected to be a significant factor in his actions.
OWL has since revealed that the bird has lead poisoning and an inured eye. It may be months before it is released back into the wild.
As for the suspect, no charges have been publicly announced, though under the Wildlife Act is it illegal to take, possess, destroy or injure a bald eagle.