February 3,2015 – Bitterroot Valley, MT
A maimed golden eagle highlights what could be a growing problem with improperly placed animal traps.
On Saturday, members of the Raptor View Research Institute captured an adult golden eagle in the Bitterroot Valley whose left leg was so badly mutilated it will probably need amputation, if the bird survives.
“Clearly its leg had been caught in a leg-hold trap and then it was released by the trapper,” said Raptor View director Rob Domenech. “This isn’t the first time. We captured one last year that had three of its four toes sheared off. And two of our birds with satellite transmitters were trapped – one in Ringling and one in British Columbia.”
Injured eagle shows risks of trapping, Missoula raptor researcher says Missoulian
The eagle was captured recently in the Bitterroot Valley as part of a migratory research project.
