To protect and serve took on a whole new meaning for one good-natured Arizona police officer who saved a baby eagle that was separated from its family after wandering under his patrol vehicle.
Officials with the Mohave County Sheriff’s Office in Kingman, Arizona, shared news of the successful rescue of the little bird.
“Sergeant Giralde was working an off-duty road construction detail when the construction workers noticed a large bird had landed under his patrol vehicle. The creature appeared to be in distress and acting strangely,” a Facebook post from the department said.
Video of the rescue shows the sergeant, along with another officer, cautiously placing a towel over the scared eagle.
They slowly placed the eagle in the back of the car to cool off from the Arizona heat.
The officer’s quick instincts likely saved the eagle’s life.
“Sergeant Giralde called the Arizona Raptor Center to pick up the animal, who told him that the bird appeared to be a juvenile eagle that had become separated from its parents. They estimated that the eagle probably wouldn’t have survived if not for Sergeant Giralde’s actions,” the post said.
“We hope our new feathery friend makes a full recovery and want to send our thanks to the Arizona Raptor Center for taking care of him,” Mohave County Sheriff’s Office officials also said in their post.
Earlier this year, a bald eagle was rescued after being trapped in the front grille of an SUV in Maryland.
Animal control worked in coordination with the Calvert County Sheriff’s Office to safely retrieve and release the bird back into its natural habitat.