In March, Murphy — a 31-year-old bald eagle at the World Bird Sanctuary — caught the attention of the internet with a tweet of him incubating a rock as if it were an eaglet. When an orphaned eaglet was brought to the Valley Park sanctuary three weeks later, Murphy was the perfect candidate to nurture […]
In March, Murphy — a 31-year-old bald eagle at the World Bird Sanctuary — caught the attention of the internet with a tweet of him incubating a rock as if it were an eaglet.
When an orphaned eaglet was brought to the Valley Park sanctuary three weeks later, Murphy was the perfect candidate to nurture the abandoned bird, classified as Eaglet 23-126 and later nicknamed “Rocky.”
After months of Murphy’s “exceptional care,” the World Bird Sanctuary determined Rocky was equipped to return to the wild.
This morning, crowds gathered as Executive Director Roger Holloway led the sanctuary in releasing Rocky along the Mississippi River. On a count of “1, 2, 6,” in reference to Rocky’s patient number, hospital manager Kira Klebe set Rocky free.
Rocky spread his wings and soared — pausing only for a quick excrement. The crowd below cheered, some wiping tears from their cheeks, as Rocky flew upstream.
“I think the story [of Murphey and Rocky] is something that we have needed,” Holloway says. “It’s about hope, it’s about resilience and cooperation — all those things that we really need.”
Among those wiping tears were Cindy Barnes and Mike Wiegard, joined by Wiegard’s young grandson. The couple were the ones who found Rocky nestless after a windstorm last April and brought him to the sanctuary for care.
“The ultimate hope was that it would get released,” Barnes says. “It’s very emotional to see him get out there and fly away.”
Rocky will likely join a community of fellow eagles living along the river. Meanwhile, Murphy, now an empty nester, will continue living at the sanctuary.
In honor of the feathered father and son, the sanctuary announced a fundraising campaign to build a new foster center at its hospital. The development would allow the sanctuary to help more birds and increase the resources for the birds currently being fostered. Donations can be made at worldbirdsanctuary.org/donate.
