MANSFIELD — The Ohio Bird Sanctuary released a male bald eagle back into the wild Monday.
Before taking flight, OBS Executive Director Gaul Laux and Lake Erie Nature & Science Center worked to get the bird banded so they could track the bird’s progress in the wild.
“By having him banded, we’ll be able to track him and know how he’s doing,” Laux said.
OBS obtained the bald eagle in September 2015 after a community member found it had been hit by a vehicle. They learned it had broken its leg and kept it in their Mary Kowalchik Flight Cage until it gained enough strength in its talons and beak to hunt live prey again.
The team released him at River Valley High School near Marion, Ohio — where it was first located. Laux said it is important to release birds of prey in a familiar territory because they know the hunting grounds.
The Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Marion County Wildlife Officer authorities, OBS volunteers and hundreds of River Valley middle and high school students gathered for the release.
