{"id":2430677,"date":"2025-05-04T09:41:00","date_gmt":"2025-05-04T13:41:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/hero-swimmer-69-dodges-gators-and-injures-arm-after-rescuing-injured-bald-eagle-with-razor-sharp-talons\/"},"modified":"2025-05-04T09:42:45","modified_gmt":"2025-05-04T13:42:45","slug":"hero-swimmer-69-dodges-gators-and-injures-arm-after-rescuing-injured-bald-eagle-with-razor-sharp-talons","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/hero-swimmer-69-dodges-gators-and-injures-arm-after-rescuing-injured-bald-eagle-with-razor-sharp-talons\/","title":{"rendered":"Hero Swimmer, 69, Dodges Gators and Injures Arm After Rescuing Injured Bald Eagle with Razor Sharp Talons"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">34<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fhero-swimmer-69-dodges-gators-and-injures-arm-after-rescuing-injured-bald-eagle-with-razor-sharp-talons%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2430677&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>A 69-year-old man named Doug Hay, residing in Lakewood Ranch, Florida, courageously risked his life to rescue a drowning <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/bald-eagles-are-making-a-comeback-report\/\" title=\"... ...s Are Making A Comeback: Report\">bald eagle<\/a> from a lake. After hearing a crash, he discovered one eagle in the water and another circling above, likely involved in a fight. without hesitation,Hay jumped into the lake despite the presence of a nearby alligator. He swam to the eagle, which had gripped his forearm with its talons, but he managed to bring it back to shore, sustaining only minor injuries. Hay&#8217;s wife filmed the daring rescue and expressed her concern during the incident. Afterward, the eagle was taken to the Wildlife Center of Southwest Florida, where it was treated for a severe injury caused by another eagle. Despite the risks involved in rescuing wild animals, the center&#8217;s director praised Hay\u2019s bravery and acknowledged the importance of safety during such actions. The Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act prohibits the handling of eagles, underscoring the legal implications of rescuing these birds.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<section> \t\t\t\t<script>console.log(\"ad slot (AC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC2)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC3)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC4)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (REP_0)\")<\/script><\/p>\n<p>Florida man Doug Hay risked his own life to rescue a drowning bald eagle.<\/p>\n<p>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, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fox13news.com\/news\/sarasota-county-man-dives-lake-save-eagle-this-is-symbol-america-man\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">WTVT<\/a> in Tampa Bay, Florida, reported April 22.<\/p>\n<p>Seeing one <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/rare-sea-eagle-descends-north-america-giant-raptors-thousands-miles-home\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">eagle<\/a> in the water and another circling above, Hay realized the two likely had been fighting.<\/p>\n<p>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.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I threw my phone to the ground, too, and my wife picked the phone up and started videoing it,&rdquo; Hay said.<\/p>\n<p> <script type=\"text\/javascript\"> \t\t\tif ( getCookie( \"ff_subbed\" ) ) { \t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"stnvideo\").remove() \t\t\t} else { \t\t\t\tdocument.addEventListener(\"DOMContentLoaded\", function() { \t\t\t\t\tfunction loadScript(src) { \t\t\t\t\t\tconst script=document.createElement(\"script\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.src=src; \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.async=true; \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.body.appendChild(script); \t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\tfunction findPreviousParagraph(selector, x) { \t\t\t\t\t\tconst targetElement=document.querySelector(selector); \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!targetElement) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.warn(\"Target element not found.\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\treturn null; \t\t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Get all <\/p>\n<p> elements in order as they appear in the document \t\t\t\t\t\tlet paragraphs=Array.from(document.querySelectorAll(\"p\"));  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Find the index of the last <\/p>\n<p> before the target element \t\t\t\t\t\tlet targetIndex=paragraphs.findIndex(p=> p.compareDocumentPosition(targetElement) & Node.DOCUMENT_POSITION_PRECEDING);  \t\t\t\t\t\tif (targetIndex===-1 || targetIndex <x) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.warn(\"Not enough paragraphs before the target element.\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\treturn null; \t\t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\treturn paragraphs[targetIndex - x]; \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Set up IntersectionObserver \t\t\t\t\tfunction observeElement(element) { \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!element) return;  \t\t\t\t\t\tconst observer=new IntersectionObserver( \t\t\t\t\t\t\t(entries)=> { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tentries.forEach(entry=> { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tif (entry.isIntersecting) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log(\"Paragraph is now visible:\", entry.target.textContent.trim()); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tloadScript(\"https:\/\/embed.sendtonews.com\/player3\/embedcode.js?fk=s28Az7AY\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tobserver.disconnect(); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t}, \t\t\t\t\t\t\t{ threshold: 0.5 } \/\/ Adjust threshold as needed \t\t\t\t\t\t);  \t\t\t\t\t\tobserver.observe(element); \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Find the 1st paragraph before #stnvideo and observe it \t\t\t\t\tlet paragraphToObserve=findPreviousParagraph(\"#stnvideo\", 2); \t\t\t\t\tobserveElement(paragraphToObserve); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> <\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">The most patriotic video you will see all day.<\/p>\n<p>70 year old <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/video-woman-rescues-two-children-from-icy-pond-they-were-babies-and-needed-help\/\" title=\"VIDEO - Woman ...s Two Children from Icy Pond: &#039;They Were Babies and Needed Help&#039;\">man rescues<\/a> a bald eagle in a lake in Florida.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/pjozgiEMXA\">pic.twitter.com\/pjozgiEMXA<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Ian Jaeger (@IanJaeger29) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/IanJaeger29\/status\/1917010127611433085?\">April 29, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I wasn&rsquo;t too concerned about the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/watch-alligator-crocodile-meet-florida-bystander-catches-bloody-primeval-battle\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">gator<\/a>,&rdquo; he said, referring to the 7-foot alligator that lived in the lake.<\/p>\n<p>During the rescue, the eagle had grabbed onto Hay&rsquo;s forearm with its talons, but he sustained only minor injuries.<\/p>\n<p>The long swim, however, was a more pressing concern.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I barely made it to shore because I was pretty tired,&rdquo; he said.<\/p>\n<p>Hay said his wife, Diana, was swearing at him during the rescue, urging him not to do it, according to <a href=\"https:\/\/wsvn.com\/news\/local\/florida\/florida-man-rescues-injured-bald-eagle-from-lake-near-sarasota\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">WSVN<\/a> in Miami.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;That would be in my head the rest of my life if I couldn&rsquo;t save this bird. I had to do it,&rdquo; Hay said. &ldquo;Just wanted to get to the eagle and save it. It&rsquo;s our national symbol. It&rsquo;s freedom. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/list-libs-will-hate-much-see-trumps-including-30m-garden-american-heroes\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">It&rsquo;s America<\/a>.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Once ashore, a trapper helped handle the bird, which was taken to the Wildlife Center of Southwest Florida in Venice.<\/p>\n<p>Pam DeFouw, the center&rsquo;s executive director, said the eagle had an open hole near its <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\">thoracic cavity &#038;mdash<\/a>; a wound from the other eagle&rsquo;s talon.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;It is pretty brutal how they fight. It&rsquo;s just part of their survival. It is part of their natural history to do,&rdquo; DeFouw said.<\/p>\n<p>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.<\/p>\n<p>DeFouw cautioned about the dangers of rescuing wild <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/sanctuary-founder-100-rescued-animals-die-suspicious-fire-active-investigation-underway\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">animals<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;The key thing is safety first. If you injure yourself, you won&rsquo;t be able to rescue the animal anyway,&rdquo; she said. &ldquo;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.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.fws.gov\/law\/bald-and-golden-eagle-protection-act\">The Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act<\/a> of 1940 forbids people in most circumstances from even touching the bird.<\/p>\n<p>It is illegal to &ldquo;take, possess, sell, purchase, barter, offer to sell, purchase or barter, transport, export or import, at any time or any manner, any bald eagle &hellip; [or any golden eagle], alive or dead, or any part (including feathers), nest, or egg thereof,&rdquo; the law reads.<\/p>\n<p>Penalties can amount to a $100,000 fine, a year in prison, and a felony conviction.<\/p>\n<div style=\"position: relative;\">\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-submit-correction inner-content\">\n<div class=\"correction-form\">\n<form style=\"display: none;\">\n<div class=\"sc-name-field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* Name<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"name\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"sc--field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* <\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<label>* Message<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t<textarea name=\"message\" required><\/textarea> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"required-message\" style=\"display: none; padding-bottom: 15px;\">* All fields are required.<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"submit\" value=\"Submit\" onclick=\"event.preventDefault(); firefly_sc();\"> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"firefly-sc-confirm\" style=\"display: none;\">Success!<\/div>\n<\/p><\/form>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> \t\t<script> \t\t\tfunction firefly_sc() { \t\t\t\tif( typeof window.captchaPublicKey==typeof undefined ){ \t\t\t\t\tconsole.error('window.captchaPublicKey is not defined'); \t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\tgrecaptcha.execute( window.captchaPublicKey, { action: 'submit_correction' } ).then( function( token ) { \t\t\t\t\tvar opts={ \t\t\t\t\t\taction:    'firefly_sc_submit', \t\t\t\t\t\tname:      document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"name\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\t:     document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tmessage:   document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"message\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tpost_id:   firefly_post_id, \t\t\t\t\t\tcap_token: token \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tvar inputs=[ 'name', '', 'message' ];  \t\t\t\t\tfor( var i=0; i <inputs.length; i++ ) if( ! ( opts[inputs[i]]=document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"' + inputs[i] + '\"]' ).value ) ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .required-message' ).style.display='block'; \t\t\t\t\t\treturn; \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction input[type=\"submit\"]' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).src=firefly_loading_gif_url; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='inline-block';  \t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( 'ma subbing' );  \t\t\t\t\tif( firefly_post_id ) opts['post_id']=firefly_post_id;  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Send the data using post with element id name and name2*\/ \t\t\t\t\tvar posting=jQuery.post( firefly_ajax_url, opts );  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Alerts the results *\/ \t\t\t\t\tposting.done( function( response ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tif( response.success ) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( response.data ); \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-confirm' ).style.display='block';  \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdataLayer.push( { 'event': 'submit-correction' } ); \t\t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> \t     \t\t\t\t\t\t     \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p style=\"border: 1px solid #f5f5f5; padding: 16px;\">Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/advertise-us\/?wj_source=article\">Advertise Today<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><script>console.log(\"ad slot (BA1)\")<\/script> \t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A Florida man named Doug Hay, 69, bravely risked his life to save a drowning bald eagle. While he and his wife were in their Lakewood Ranch home, they heard a crash in the lake behind their house. Upon investigating, Hay saw one eagle struggling in the water and another flying overhead, likely indicating a fight between them. Without hesitation, he jumped into the lake to rescue the bird that had landed in the water. He recalled throwing down his phone as his wife began recording the incident. Despite being aware of a nearby alligator, Hay focused on saving the eagle and sustained only minor injuries from its talons during the rescue. Exhausted but determined, he made it back to shore with help from a trapper who took care of the injured bird before it was sent for rehabilitation at a wildlife center. The center&#8217;s director noted that while rescuing wild animals can be dangerous and is generally not recommended without proper safety measures, Hay&#8217;s actions were commendable as he saved an important symbol of America<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2430678,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Bald-Eagle.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[54572,54573,54571,40838,54574],"class_list":["post-2430677","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-bald-eagle-rescue","tag-gator-encounter","tag-hero-swimmer","tag-injury-report","tag-wildlife-rehabilitation"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Bald-Eagle.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2430677","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2430677"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2430677\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2430681,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2430677\/revisions\/2430681"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2430678"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2430677"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2430677"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2430677"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}