'Hope' The Bald Eagle Released After Rehab At Foyil's Wild Heart Ranch

Thursday, December 31st 2015, 5:35 pm

By: Richard Clark

Wild Heart Ranch released a bald eagle back into the wild Thursday after going to great lengths to rehabilitate her.

Annette Tucker, the president of Wild Heart Ranch, named the eagle Hope. She'd been hit by a car somewhere in Tulsa.

Hope was nursed back to health at Woodland West Animal Hospital and then the Tulsa Zoo. She moved to Wild Heart Ranch about a month ago so the staff there could get her back into proper flying and hunting condition.

The ranch has a new large enclosure that's big enough for birds of prey to fly in, and Hope made good use of it.

Visit Wild Heart Ranch's web site.

Before she could be released, she needed one last bit of preparation. Veterinarian Dr. Shad Wilkerson used a rotary tool called a Dremel to sharpen each one of her talons by hand.

Tucker said the staff didn't have much guidance for how to accomplish the task, so it used welding gloves, ace bandages and a hood to immobilize Hope.

In front of a crowd, the staff released Hope at Blue Creek on the east side of Oologah Lake. She circled for about 15 minutes before finally landing. Tucker said the eagle was ready to be free.

While he was at the ranch on Thursday, Dr. Wilkerson examined the injured barred owl that was brought in earlier this week.

12/30/15: Related Story: Owl Found On Side Of Road Being Rehabbed At Foyil Care Facility

The young male owl had a bad wing. Dr. Wilkerson said the injury was an old one and the owl has permanently lost the use the wing, so the ranch is looking for a permanent home for him.