Bald eagle rescued on Thanksgiving released in state game lands

April 09, 2026 Last Updated: April 09, 2026 10:19 PM Local News

Dawn DeCrease, left, Carol Holmgren and state game warden Kolton Boyer release a bald eagle rescued in Butler County at State Game Lands in Lawrence County on Thursday, April 9, 2026. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle

Rob McGraw

PLAIN GROVE TWP, Lawrence County — A rehabilitated bald eagle took flight Thursday to the delight of many eagle enthusiasts after being rescued in Butler County and undergoing five months of care.

The young adult male eagle was released during the afternoon at State Game Lands 151. It was found on Thanksgiving on Bill Elliott’s property along New Castle Road near Slippery Rock.

Elliott said his son and grandson found the bird stuck in a fence while taking a walk. Instead of risking harming him further trying to rescue it themselves, they called the state game commission, which called Tamarack Wildlife Center in Crawford County.

“It takes someone to notice a problem and make a call,” said Carol Holmgren, the center’s executive director and a licensed rehabilitation specialist.

When the eagle was rescued, he had tendon and ligament damage to his foot that got caught in the fence and wounds on his wings from thrashing. The most severe damage was to his hallux talon, which acts as a thumb, and second talon, which is required for a strong pinch.

Holmgren said eagles can live up to 30 years in the wild, so even though ligaments and tendons don’t heal as predictably as fractures, this one was in its prime for breeding and worth saving.

“It definitely makes it all worthwhile,” Holmgren said after watching him fly away. “This is what we do it for.”

She compared it to sending a child away to college. She said she will miss him but can’t keep him locked up.

The wildlife center did one final exam Thursday morning to check his stamina, feathers, beak and sharpen his talons. Eagle rehabilitation costs $3,000 in the first month and $1,000 each month following, Holmgren said, and this eagle’s took longer than expected.

He turned out to be a bit of a “perch potato,” Holmgren said.

The Tamarack volunteers provided him with physical therapy and moved him into a larger enclosure with other eagles being rehabilitated until his stamina returned. Holmgren said eagles must be like athletes to survive in the wild.

The wildlife center has two more eagles it’s preparing to release and two more in its care.

The Butler bald eagle flies through the air after being released from its cage at State Game Lands in Lawrence County on Thursday, April 9, 2026. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle

Rob McGraw

Due to the eagle’s longer recovery period, he will miss out on breeding season this year, Holmgren said. He was released several miles from where he was captured.

Holmgren said if he were released in the same area where he was captured, and his previous mate had already found another, she explained that she wouldn’t want to release her freshly rehabilitated eagle straight into a fight.

Even with his “feisty” personality.

State game warden Kolton Boyer said the location was also chosen for its access to water and prey. This was his first time seeing an eagle be released.

“It was just really cool to see that,” he said.

The Butler bald eagle flies through the air after being released from its cage at State Game Lands in Lawrence County on Thursday, April 9, 2026. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle

Rob McGraw