Hero Swimmer, 69, Dodges Gators and Injures Arm After Rescuing Injured Bald Eagle with Razor Sharp Talons

Florida man Doug Hay risked his own life to rescue a drowning bald eagle.

The 69-year-old and his wife, who reside in Lakewood Ranch, Florida, were in their living room when they heard something crash into the lake behind their house, WTVT in Tampa Bay, Florida, reported April 22.

Seeing one eagle in the water and another circling above, Hay realized the two likely had been fighting.

He immediately shed his shirt and sandals and jumped into the water to rescue the drowning bird, which had landed right in the middle of the lake.

“I threw my phone to the ground, too, and my wife picked the phone up and started videoing it,” Hay said.

The most patriotic video you will see all day.

70 year old man rescues a bald eagle in a lake in Florida.

pic.twitter.com/pjozgiEMXA

— Ian Jaeger (@IanJaeger29) April 29, 2025

“I wasn’t too concerned about the gator,” he said, referring to the 7-foot alligator that lived in the lake.

During the rescue, the eagle had grabbed onto Hay’s forearm with its talons, but he sustained only minor injuries.

The long swim, however, was a more pressing concern.

“I barely made it to shore because I was pretty tired,” he said.

Hay said his wife, Diana, was swearing at him during the rescue, urging him not to do it, according to WSVN in Miami.

“That would be in my head the rest of my life if I couldn’t save this bird. I had to do it,” Hay said. “Just wanted to get to the eagle and save it. It’s our national symbol. It’s freedom. It’s America.”

Once ashore, a trapper helped handle the bird, which was taken to the Wildlife Center of Southwest Florida in Venice.

Pam DeFouw, the center’s executive director, said the eagle had an open hole near its thoracic cavity — a wound from the other eagle’s talon.

“It is pretty brutal how they fight. It’s just part of their survival. It is part of their natural history to do,” DeFouw said.

Despite this, DeFouw said the eagle, likely a male, was stable and would be administered antibiotics over the next weeks until it was ready for rehabilitation flights.

DeFouw cautioned about the dangers of rescuing wild animals.

“The key thing is safety first. If you injure yourself, you won’t be able to rescue the animal anyway,” she said. “Doug did a very brave thing. Is it something we would recommend for someone else? Probably not. He did save the life of that bird, so that is definitely to be commended.”

The Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act of 1940 forbids people in most circumstances from even touching the bird.

It is illegal to “take, possess, sell, purchase, barter, offer to sell, purchase or barter, transport, export or import, at any time or any manner, any bald eagle … [or any golden eagle], alive or dead, or any part (including feathers), nest, or egg thereof,” the law reads.

Penalties can amount to a $100,000 fine, a year in prison, and a felony conviction.

Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. Advertise Today.