A golden eagle who started life as a wild bird but lost the ability to fly has found a new home at a Kansas zoo known for breeding the animals.
Seteweela, a 14-year-old golden eagle originally from the San Francisco area, was rendered flightless at about the age of 3 when she collided with a wind turbine that severed part of her right wing, according to a March 5 Facebook post from the Topeka Zoo.
“While she cannot fly, she is otherwise a healthy bird,” the post said. “Taking baths and sunning are among her favorite activities.”
Seteweela also likes to spend her days hunting rats, mice and quail, and observing pronghorn in their nearby enclosure, the zoo’s page said.
“She gets around quite well as there are large logs that lean against perching areas, and she is able to jump and flap her wings for short distances,” the zoo said in response to comments on the post.
Her name, which means “one who soars,” was given to her by a Wintu tribe that blessed her while she lived at Turtle Bay Exploration Park in Redding, Calif.
During her time here, life took another dramatic turn. She was one of 87 animals zoo staff had to evacuate when the Carr Fire swept through the area in June and August of 2018.
Turtle Bay Curator of Animal Programs Sharon Clay detailed how she and the staff moved animals in kennels from the park and into her house during the fire in her written account, “An Eagle in The Closet, A Bobcat in The Bathroom And a Weasel in The Toilet.”
During the early days of the emergency, Seteweela’s kennel was kept in Clay’s walk-in closet because it was the quietest environment for her. Because she was the zoo’s only untrained animal, moving her presented a unique challenge, Clay wrote.
“Placement was important so animals would feel safe,” Clay wrote.
