With a rope attached to dry land and assistance from local firefighters, Krzysztof Chomicz dragged himself through the mud to rescue the bird on July 26, as a drone captured footage of the dramatic rescue from above.
Chomicz brought the distressed bird, a White-Tailed Eagle, back to dry land, enduring some pecking at his arms and legs in the process.
According to local reports, the eagle was treated by wildlife rehabilitators and then transferred to a refuge in Szczecin.
The team named the eagle Icarus, after the Greek hero who flew too close to the sun on wings of wax and feathers. The team estimated the bird was about six months old and was likely just learning to fly when it fell into the muck.
Chomicz rescued another white-tailed eagle in 2015. A photo he took of two eagles was published by National Geographic Poland's website in 2014.
The White-Tailed Eagle (Haliaeetus albicilla) is northern Europe's largest bird of prey. It was driven nearly to extinction by pollution and habitat loss but began making a comeback in the 1980s, particularly after DDT and PCBs were banned (which had led to thinning of its shells and poisoning).
(ABC30 - Aug 10, 2016)
VIDEO OF RESCUE
