Nebraska ranch-owner and truck driver Kat Kennedy does more than just work her ranch and haul cattle, she uses her land and wide variety of skills to rescue Bald Eagles.
According to Kat, her 20,000 acre sixth-generation family ranch is home to somewhere between 15 and 20 breeding pairs of Eagles, and sometimes, these birds run into trouble.
“We have quite a few eagles on our property,” Kat said. “My personal experiences with rescue have been birds we found on our ranch.”
The birds of prey are occasionally injured in severe weather or other unfortunate events, rendering them unable to fly – that’s where Kat steps in.
Most recently, after the August 10th & 11th Derecho wind storm, Kat discovered a young Bald Eagle on the ground and immediately knew what to do.
“I called the Raptor Center,” she said.
The Nebraska Raptor Center quickly took the bird in and rehabilitated him, bringing him back to health before eventually releasing him back onto his home turf, Kat’s ranch.
“It’s really neat when you get to see them released,” she said.
Every state has some form of Raptor rescue and rehabilitation Center. If you encounter an injured eagle, experts encourage you to call you local center. A list of centers in each state can be found here.