On Saturday, November 12, SCS Engineers Superintendent John Jones made an unexpected discovery at work. During his CQA inspection at the Okeechobee Landfill, John discovered an injured American bald eagle on the floor of a cell in the project area. With the help of friends from Arnold’s Wildlife Rehabilitation Center (AWRC), the young eagle was rescued and is now recovering at Arnold’s facility.
No one knows how the eagle became injured, but three eagles were observed earlier in the morning in what appeared to be territorial combat. The young bird had the good luck of being found by John and according to Sue Arnold, the founder of AWRC, “is on his way to a full recovery and will be released back into the wild.”
When asked if the eagle has been named, Sue Arnold said they don’t usually name the rescued animals because their ultimate goal is to rescue, rehabilitate, and return recovered animals to their natural habitat. She suggested, “call him ‘JJ’ since John took the time and effort to help us rescue the eagle, which is awesome.”
The south-central Okeechobee landfill, run by Waste Management, provides local businesses and industry with professional disposal services that are safe and meet the highest standards for environmental compliance. The Landfill is a certified wildlife habitat as well. The site is certified by the National Wildlife Habitat Council. Okeechobee dedicates 2,000 of its 4,100 acres as a wildlife habitat that will soon become home again to the young eagle JJ.
Arnold’s Wildlife Rehabilitation Center, Inc., is a non-profit 501(c) educational-based wildlife care facility. The Center is dedicated to bringing people and wildlife together to develop a community awareness of the value of Florida wildlife.
We’ll keep you posted when JJ’s release into the wildlife habitat is planned.
