But Animal Control Officer Anthony McCall did just that.
McCall, an 8-year veteran of Animal Control, was on his way to work May 10 when he got a call about an eagle needing help near Driftwood Lane in the Arkendale Flats area of Stafford.
A resident, who wants to remain anonymous, reported there was an eagle on the deck of his home. The bird appeared to be injured, the resident said.
When McCall got to the house, the eagle was in the Potomac River.
“Something’s wrong,” thought McCall. “Why isn’t it flying?”
The officer donned his aviary gloves as protection against the eagle’s talons and waded into the river. After an extended effort, he retrieved the animal.
He stuck around for pictures by the caller and his family, something McCall had no problem with.
“You don’t get that close to an eagle every day,” he said.
The caller’s daughter, very excited about the event, asked if she could name the bird.
“What do you want to call him?” asked McCall.
“Steve,” came the reply.
“Then Steve it is,” McCall said.
“Steve” was then taken by an officer of the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries and turned over to a [wildlife rehabilitator] in Prince William County, McCall said.
McCall had no estimate on the number of eagles in Stafford County but felt their numbers were on the rise. He has seen at least three nests in his travels about the county, he said.
(Inside Nova - May 21, 2015)
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