Good Samaritan Notices Injured Bald Eagle Stuck in Traffic, Rushes to Save Her Life

A Good Samaritan speeding home on a motorcycle runs into sudden traffic on a busy highway and sees an injured bald eagle trapped in the middle of the road.

On a bright Saturday on Memorial Day Weekend on May 25, Dandon Miller, 34, of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, was riding his motorcycle home. He took his favorite red and black shirt he had for eight years but never thought it would come in handy to save a life.

Miller was enjoying the weather while speeding towards the traffic that suddenly slowed ahead of him on the busy Route 30 bypass near Downington. Though traffic jams weren’t uncommon on the busiest weekend of the year, Miller realized that this was no usual congestion.

He immediately pulled over his bike to the roadside on the two-way highway and was curious to find out what was causing the major roadblock.

Like every other curious onlooker, Miller looked down to see what was wrong. He then realized the vehicles halted because people were trying to avoid hitting a bald eagle stranded on the road.

The bird was injured and looked petrified by the people surrounding it. Meanwhile, Miller noticed a person from the crowd nudge the eagle in an attempt to see if she could walk off the path or flutter away.

The eagle spread her wings wide open and stood on the path, refusing to go anywhere. Meanwhile, others on the highway snapped photos, and word spread quickly of the eagle sighting on social media.

Time was running out, and it took around 45 minutes for help to arrive.

Though people were eager to get out there to rescue the bird, nobody was sure what to do until Miller arrived. A devoted animal lover, Miller knew he had to do something to help the injured eagle get out of danger and bring it to safety.

Miller observed the eagle and realized that her mighty claws still had that ferocious vigor though she was too hurt to fly. He immediately grabbed his favorite flannel and tossed it over the eagle. To his surprise, the bird remained calm as he wrapped her in his shirt.

Once he scooped her up off the road, he called 911 and waited for the Tri-State Bird Rescue and Research, a local wildlife rehabilitation center for birds, to arrive.

Surprisingly, when Miller held the 15-pound bird, she was very calm. But he noticed that she looked a bit worked up when onlookers started wanting to click pictures.

Time was running out, and it took around 45 minutes for help to arrive. Miller tried to keep the bird still by reassuring her that she was in safe hands.

When a rescuer from Tri-State Bird Rescue and Research arrived, the injured eagle was untangled from Miller’s flannel and shifted into a cardboard box to be taken for treatment at the center.

Following a few days of intense treatment, the rescue team said they were confident about the eagle’s speedy recovery. Rebecca Stansell from Tri-State Bird Rescue and Research said:

“She had a mild injury to one eye and soft tissue injury, but no broken bones…The unexpected can always happen, but we are optimistic that she will make a full recovery.”

They later revealed that the eagle Miller rescued was the 45th admitted for treatment at the center since the beginning of 2019.

As for Miller’s favorite shirt, he decided to keep it as a souvenir of the occasion though it now had giant holes from the eagle’s sharp talons.

Thankfully, Miller knew it was used for the best cause and said he intends to continue wearing the shirt!

Questions to Ponder:

Do you think the onlookers may have contributed to the bird's stress that day?

Miller claimed the other people in traffic were quite ecstatic on seeing the giant bald eagle and snapped photos of her. One tried to approach it but the bird just fluttered its wings and wouldn't budge. Meanwhile, when Miller held the bird, it appeared to calm down. Do you think the onlookers should have been more sensitive to the eagle's plight?

If you were on that highway and spotted the eagle, would you have done what Miller did?

As soon as Miller spotted the injured bald eagle, he acted quickly to save it instead of clicking pictures or merely staring at it. Despite knowing his favorite shirt would be ruined, he used it to wrap the bird and bring her to safety. Would you have done the same? Have you ever rescued an injured bird or wild animal? How did you reassure the animal that it was safe in your hands?

If you liked this story, here’s another touching story of why a chained dog wouldn’t stop kissing the man who set her free.

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