When Maine Maritime Academy sophomore Aidan Connelly saw something in the road while driving on Interstate 295 on April 13 he thought it was trash. It turned out to be an injured bald eagle.
There were feathers flying, but the eagle couldn’t move and was in obvious distress, Connelly said. The bird had been hit by a vehicle sometime before 6 a.m. on I-295, a few miles from the West Gardiner Service Plaza.
“I couldn’t have slammed on the brakes faster,” Connelly said. “It was honestly a little alarming because the eagle was unable to move at all.”
Another driver stopped and helped Connelly, 20, cover the eagle with a towel and move it off the road. The eagle calmed down after a few minutes.
They called police to figure out the next steps to get the bird help.
Eventually police allowed Connelly to “claim” the eagle so he could transport it to the Center For Wildlife in Cape Neddick.
The eagle, which is at least 5 years old, had a compound humerus fracture with the bone going through his skin, the center said in a Facebook post Tuesday. The center X-rayed the eagle and was able to surgically repair the break with a metal rod. The eagle is now in intensive care, with a guarded prognosis.
One thing Connelly can’t understand is why the driver who hit the eagle didn’t stop. The bird was large enough it would have been pretty obvious what the person had hit, he said.
Connelly is an animal lover and already knew about the center because he would stop and visit occasionally. He never thought he would see a bald eagle that close up. Now, he’ll always remember that day, especially when he drives by the spot on the interstate.
“This was a beautiful experience,” he said. “This meant the world to me.”
The eagle is still going through the intake process, and Connelly hasn’t heard any more updates yet. People can check in on the eagle’s status on the center’s website, with patient code 24-223.
