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A bald eagle found close to death earlier this month has made a near-miraculous recovery thanks to some quick-thinking and compassionate humans.

The mature bird of prey was all but lifeless when it arrived at the Atlantic Veterinary College, but after a few days of care, it had recovered so fully experts released it back into the wild.

No one was more pleased to see the large bird take wing than Gerard Gaudet.

He’s the one who found the eagle while out for a walk on his property in Montrose, P.E.I.

He barely saw it lying flat in the field, but his wife, Corry, wasn’t surprised.

“My husband has a very keen eye,” she said.

Gerard didn’t know just what he had spied, so he moved in for a closer look.

“Lo and behold, there was a bald eagle lying on the edge of my property,” he said.

Gerard Gaudet called provincial environment officer John Hoar when he found this eagle in his field earlier this month.

The nature-lover thought he could see it breathing, so he called around for some help.

John Hoar, an officer with the Department of Environment, was nearby.

“When I got there, the eagle was lying face down, covered in mud,” said Hoar.

Unsure if it was alive or dead, he decided to bring the bird in to the vet college, if for nothing more than a necropsy, but he was in for a start.

“I picked it up and I felt it breathe.”

With the creature clinging to life, Hoar wrapped it in a blanket and tucked it into his truck.

“She couldn’t open her eyes, she couldn’t pick her head up, couldn’t move in any way,” he said. “All she was doing was breathing. That’s it.”

Provincial environment officer John Hoar wrapped the eagle in a blanket and took it to the Atlantic Veterinary College in Charlottetown.

Hoar set off to the Atlantic Veterinary College in Charlottetown. No one thought the bird would make it that far.

But it did.

Dr. Nellissa Stalnhoef made the first assessments and was soon joined by Dr. Oriana Raab.

“It was minimally responsive, unable to move its wings or legs and really didn’t respond to any stimulation. The bird was not in good shape when it arrived,” said Raab.

The eagle was a mature adult, likely a female, weighing 4.5 kilograms (10 pounds), with very good body condition, which told the vets she hadn’t been suffering for long.

Raptors with chronic illnesses are often thin since they can't acquire food as readily, said Raab.

The veterinarians couldn’t find a cause for the bird’s condition. X-rays showed no trauma or lead shot, basic bloodwork come back normal.

“We gave it fluids for several hours through the night and by the next morning, it was trying to stand. So it’s a pretty remarkable turnaround,” said Raab.

The eagle, a four-year-old female, was revived by staff at the AVC and was released on Monday, April 20.

Last Friday, Corry and Gerard Gaudet, at right, invited grandsons, Ethan left, and Zach to help rescue a bald eagle Gerard spotted in his field in Montrose, P.E.I.

Later that day, the bird was moved to the flight cage, an outdoor enclosure at the college, where it continued to regain strength.

Raab and Stalnhoef think the eagle may have been sick from a toxic substance, based on the way it improved so suddenly compared to how bad it looked when it came in, she said.

“Even though we didn’t see any signs of trauma, we can’t entirely rule out head trauma, but toxin would probably still be our number one differential (diagnosis). What specific toxin, I can’t say.”

While the veterinarians were watching the swift revival, the Gaudets were waiting for word.

“We wondered all weekend if the poor bird had survived. It wouldn’t have lasted another hour, I don’t think, if it wasn’t taken care of,” said Corry.

On Monday, Hoar was able to deliver some good news.

“Your eagle is alive and well,” Hoar told the Gaudets on Monday morning.

The eagle had recovered so fully, Raab wanted to release her before she hurt herself in captivity.

That afternoon, Raab joined Hoar and the Gaudets in Montrose to release the eagle back to the wild.

“Within 48 hours, it went from being minimally responsive to flying around. It’s pretty remarkable,” said Raab. “We released it in the exact same field where it was found and it did fantastic. It flew away really beautifully.”

Corry described the release as majestic.

“With all the bad news… it was nice to see something get well and get free.”

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