A transplanted eagle!

I was touched to read about the rescue of an injured eagle in Afghanistan.

Eagle Mitch, a Steppe Eagle, was rescued by US Troops in Afghanistan after he was shot in the wing. The young servicemen healed his wound, built him a cage and cared for him for months. When realized he would never fly again they contacted Berkshire Bird Paradise, a bird sanctuary in Petersburgh NY, to get him to the US and provide a permanent home for him. Sanctuary owner Pete Dubacher, who began his bird rescue when he was in service during the Vietnam war, sought the help of author Barbara Chepaitis. She had recently released the book Feathers of Hope, which is about the sanctuary.

"I was amazed at how many people told us this couldn't be done - and how close they were to being right," Chepaitis said. "We had to enlist the help of some pretty big powers to get Eagle Mitch through the red tape, but we did it."

Initial objections from Federal Fish and Wildlife and the USDA, along with the difficulty of completing export papers in Afghanistan, were just some of the larger obstacles to be overcome, but Chepaitis was able to secure the help of Senator Schumer's office and the White House Office of Public Engagement to get the job done.

"My stance was that these young men, in a war zone, had taken the trouble to show compassion, and we have to applaud that. We spend a lot of time complaining about what's wrong with the world. It's important to also support what's right."

Eagle Mitch arrived at a military base in Virginia in early October.

There's more at the link. Here's a video clip of Pete Dubacher talking about his new arrival.

It's nice to hear some good news coming out of that benighted country!

Peter