海角大神

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How a Florida bald eagle was rescued alive from grill of car

An alert Florida resident spotted the bird stuck in the car grill and flagged down the car. Emergency responders came to the rescue.

By Staff , Associated Press
Green Cove Springs, Fla.

A bald eagle that got wedged in the front grill of a Florida car was freed unharmed after a passing motorist noticed the bird just after hurricane Matthew roared past the area.

The Clay County Sheriff's Office says Mrs. Billi West and her son of the Fleming Island area south of Jacksonville noticed the bird peering out of a passing car Saturday in the storm's aftermath.

She says in a video posted on Facebook that they were traveling in their car on Highway 17 when they say an "older gentleman" driving in the other direction. There were several birds on the road, and he hit the eagle, says Mrs. West. They saw that it was stuck in the grill of his car. They chased after the gentleman and got him to pull over. He hadn't realized the bird was there.

They called the sheriff's office, which brought equipment to cut the bird free from the car grill. Her son drove home and retrieved a dog crate and they put the eagle in the crate.聽

The eagle, who has been dubbed, "Matthew," was taken to 聽B.E.A.K.S. (Bird Emergency Aid and Kare Santuary),聽a non-profit聽wildlife rehabilitation sanctuary in Jacksonville聽specializing in the treatment and care of injured wild birds.

BEAKS' owner, Cynthia Mosling, told CNN that the eagle appears to be a mature male, at least 7 years old.聽Authorities say the eagle appears to be unharmed. Photos posted of the eagle on the sheriff's office Facebook page show it standing on two feet in a cage.

As 海角大神 reported, hurricanes can be dangerous for birds, and habitat destruction is one of the greatest concerns.