Baby eagles fleeing nests due to extreme heat in B.C., says rescue centre
Staff at the Mountainaire Avian Rescue Society (MARS) on Vancouver Island believe high temperatures are to blame for an influx of young eagles requiring care.
MARS staff say they're caring for 18 eagles right now -- 13 babies and five adults or juveniles – which is highly unusual for the summer season.
Staff believe that young eagles are leaving their nests before they're ready to fly in an effort to escape the heat.
"It's so hot where they are in their nests that they're just trying to leave early to balance out that temperature," said Kiersten Shyian, assistant manager of wildlife rehabilitation at MARS.
"It's crazy how many we're getting. They're leaving early because of the heat," she said.
The animal centre says they're also getting reports of baby eagles that have fallen from nests. Many appear dehydrated, skinny, and "covered in bugs" when they first come in. Most have their down feathers still, meaning they're roughly a month to a couple of months old.
Caregivers add that it's unusual to have an influx of eagles in the summer, because winter is typically their busiest month of the species.
'RAVENOUS APPETITES'
With nearly 20 eagles in its care, MARS says it struggled to find enough fish to feed them at first.
"A couple of days ago our fridges were pretty much empty because we were going through fish so fast," said Shyian. "Because feeding 18 eagles is a lot of food, and they have very ravenous appetites."
The animal centre then turned to social media to help stock its fridges. Since then, Shyian says the community response has been overwhelming.
Community members have been donating pounds of fish after the animal centre sent out the request, particularly for salmon, which are easy to puree for the baby eagles.
The response was so generous that staff are now asking for donors to wait for roughly two weeks so that the centre can go through its current supply.
"We're full at the moment but we're going through about 10 kilograms of fish a day," said Jo Stiles, an animal caregiver at MARS.
"So in another two to three weeks we'll be in the same spot," she said.
MARS staff say they're grateful for the contributions they've received so far.
"People have been so generous," said Stiles. "I've always found with this community, if we mention the word 'eagle,' people are right there to help."
Donations to MARS can be dropped off at 331 Williams Beach Rd. in Merville, though the rescue centre asks that you call them before making a donation at 778-428-1990.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'They needed people inside Air Canada:' Police announce arrests in Pearson gold heist
Police say one former and one current employee of Air Canada are among the nine suspects that are facing charges in connection with the gold heist at Pearson International Airport last year.
Why drivers in Eastern Canada could see big gas price spikes, and other Canadians won't
Drivers in Eastern Canada face a big increase in gas prices because of various factors, especially the higher cost of the summer blend, industry analysts say.
BREAKING Toronto Raptors player Jontay Porter banned from NBA
Toronto Raptors player Jontay Porter has been handed a lifetime ban from The National Basketball Association (NBA) following an investigation which found he disclosed confidential information to sports bettors, the league says.
WATCH LIVE As GC Strategies partner is admonished by MPs, RCMP confirms search warrant executed
The RCMP confirmed Wednesday it had executed a search warrant at an address registered to GC Strategies. This development comes as MPs are enacting an extraordinary, rarely used parliamentary power, summoning one of its contractors to appear before the House of Commons to be admonished publicly for failing to answer questions related to the ArriveCan app.
Disappointment widespread over budget's proposed $200-month disability benefit funding
Advocacy groups across Canada are expressing widespread disappointment about the amount of funding earmarked in the 2024 federal budget for the long-awaited Canada Disability Benefit.
Earthquake jolts southern Japan
An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.4 hit southern Japan late on Wednesday, said the Japan Meteorological Agency, without issuing a tsunami warning.
Woman who pressured boyfriend to kill his ex in 2000s granted absences from prison
A woman who pressured her boyfriend into killing his teenage ex more than a decade ago will be allowed to leave prison for weeks at a time.
opinion Don Martin: Gusher of Liberal spending won't put out the fire in this dumpster
A Hail Mary rehash of the greatest hits from the Trudeau government’s three-week travelling pony-show, the 2024 federal budget takes aim at reversing the party’s popularity plunge in the under-40 set, writes political columnist Don Martin. But will it work before the next election?
Former Sask. massage therapist who sexually assaulted clients has day parole revoked
A former massage therapist who pleaded guilty to a string of sexual assaults has had his day parole revoked.