For one crowned eagle, he happened to be at the right place at the right time, otherwise his fate might have turned out much different. This poor bird had been the victim of poachers, but he was soon to be rescued and back into the wild where he belonged.

A forestry officer out of uniformed just happened to be out walking and spotted the bird who had been tied to a pole. He told the poachers that he wanted to buy the bird and arranged to have them meet him to exchange the bird for cash. Little did the poachers know they were being set up.

Tied to the pole, the regal bird was very upset and was unable to fly to freedom. The forestry officer had seen these types of incidents before. He made the arrangements with the poachers and immediately contacted the police to have them meet the poachers where he said he would be with the cash. He also contacted the Libassa Wildlife Sanctuary so the eagle could receive the treatment he needed after his capture.

When the poachers met up with the police, they tried to say they thought the bird was an owl and that they hadn’t captured him and instead they found him on the side of the road. The eagle had been bound in canvas and its legs were tied together telling the police that the story was a lie. The evidence was enough to arrest the men for poaching.

The eagle was then taken to the wildlife sanctuary where he was examined. Many of the birds that come in to the sanctuary at the hands of poachers have had their wings badly damaged. Fortunately for this crowned eagle, his big wings were healthy and intact. His only injury was a small ulcer on one of his eyes.

The team at the sanctuary decided to treat the eagle’s eye twice daily and in no time he was back up and acting healthy again. The team moved the eagle to a larger enclosure where he could test his wings and hunt for his own food like he would in the wild. It was obvious to the team that the eagle was almost ready to return home.

After 10 days of being at the wildlife sanctuary, the eagle was ready to be released back into the wild. They took him to a location close to where he’d been found and when he was released, he let out a big screech and flew off to reunite with his family.