Kathy wasn't sure whether the bird was alive or not, but decided to drive 2 hours to the Stephen Wade Nissan dealership in St. George. The eagle was caught head first in the grill of her Nissan Titan. When Kathy asked service advisor Brandon Fife to help her get a bird out of her grill, he had no idea what a surprise he was in for. He thought she'd hit a much smaller bird than the eagle. He was even more surprised when he found the bird to be still alive.
Nissan Master Tech Jason Stopper and Brandon initiated the rescue by removing the grill from the Titan. They found the bird to be much more stuck than they anticipated. For the safety of themselves and the eagle, they then called animal control.
Animal control then called the bird expert from the Red Cliffs Desert Reserve, Justin Neighbor. Justin has been the Field Technician for Washington County since 1977. Justin rescued the eagle by simply pulling it out. By the time he had arrived at the dealership, the eagle was so exhausted from the struggle that it was calm enough to be removed somewhat easily.
Justin carried the bird to his truck and headed straight to Dr. Bruce L. Jacobson DVM, a local Veterinarian at St. George Regional Veterinary Hospital, to see if the bird could be saved. We are still waiting for word from Dr. Jacobson's office on the progress of the eagle. We do know the bird is currently still alive and wrapped in a towel.
Stay tuned for more updates
-Josh-
