8-Month-Old Bald Eagle Is Eagle Creek Park's Newest Ambassador

Eagle Creek Park on Indy’s northwest side has a new resident.  

An 8-month-old bald eagle fell from its nest near Cleveland, Ohio. He was taken to a rehabilitation center and then transported to Eagle Creek Park last year.

He has a permanently damaged left wing, so he won’t be able to fly.

Will Schaust, director of the park’s Ornithology Center, is training the eagle to be part of the park’s program to educate people about bald eagles.

“We’ll present programs on him. We are going to provide opportunities for enrichment so different puzzle feeders, or different stimuli to keep him mentally engaged,” Schaust said. “And once he’s more comfortable in the public around bigger groups, we will put him in one of our display enclosures.”

The public had an opportunity to donate and name the eagle, and Carson was the winner.  More than $1,600 was raised and will go toward enclosure renovations, vet bills and food.

The U.S Fish and Wildlife Service recently took the Bald Eagle off the endangered list in Indiana thanks to conservation efforts in the mid-1980s.  There are now more than 350 nesting pairs in the state.