'All we have is hope' for missing bald eagle's return, park manager says

Staff at the Chippewa Park Wildlife Exhibit are devastated by the disappearance of a bald eagle from the Thunder Bay, Ont., zoo, but they're still hopeful the bird will return, if he is healthy enough to fly.

"That's all we have is hope," said Gordon John, the acting park manager.

"I'm hoping that it comes back and we can coax it into an area where we can net it and get it back in the house, but the longer it goes, the more I'm becoming skeptical, but there's always hope!"

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So far attempts to lure the eagle back with food placed near the enclosure have proven unsuccessful. Nor have the cries of its mate been enough to entice it to return.

The raptor has been missing since January 19, when the lock was smashed off the cage by an intruder and a hole cut in the chain link.

The eagle was born and raised in captivity and does not have strong hunting or flying skills.

John said he doesn't think someone stole the bird because there were no signs of feathers or other disturbances in the cage.

But, knowing that eagles mate for life, he said he is confused about why someone would release just one bird.

"I think they were misguided and thinking they were doing such a great deed in letting the bird free, but then why didn't they let the other free too?"

"You're letting one go, and you're stressing out the other one, by losing its mate," said John.