Trooper rescues ailing bald eagle from boat at Table Rock Lake

It was not your typical emergency rescue call at Table Rock Lake.

On Saturday, the operators of a houseboat discovered a young bald eagle standing on a table on the bow of their boat, unwilling or unable to fly away.

Highway Patrol Troop D Sgt. John Lueckenhoff said that at the same time the houseboat operators were calling troopers for help, Trooper Andy Ward was flagged down in his Marine Patrol boat and alerted of the situation.

"He made contact with the houseboat people and the eagle was obviously injured, or sick, or both," Lueckenhoff said. "Trooper Ward boarded the vessel and managed to walk up behind the bird and catch it with a towel. He then put it in his boat, wrapped in the towel, and the bird hopped from one part of the boat to another, but never tried to escape or bite him."

Ward was able to reach shore in the Aunt's Creek area, where he met some Missouri Department of Conservation agents who took the eagle to  Dickerson Park Zoo's Raptor Rehabilitation Center in Springfield.

Zoo spokeswoman Joey Powell said the eagle, less than 5 years old, was found to have a broken left leg that had healed on its own. She said zoo veterinarians weren't sure why the eagle was unable to fly away.

"There is some nerve damage there, enough that he won't be able to be released into the wild," she said. " He's in rehab now, and taking well to rehab — he's eating well. But unfortunately he can't be released."

She said the zoo will work to find a home for the bird, either with a Native American tribe or with a zoo where he could serve as an ambassador for education about bald eagles.