Florida man dives into lake to save wounded eagle: 'This is the symbol of America man'

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22-04-2025

The Brief
A Lakewood Ranch man saved the life of an eagle that fell into a lake in his backyard.
The bird was injured during a fight with another eagle.
The wounded eagle is stable but has a long road to recovery, according to the Wildlife Center of Southwest Florida.
LAKEWOOD RANCH, Fla. - A Lakewood Ranch man said he dived into a lake with no hesitation to rescue a wounded eagle on Saturday.
"I've been around animals my whole life. I love animals," shared Doug Hay, who's almost 70 years old.
The backstory
According to Hay, he and his wife were sitting in their living room when they heard a crash. He looked in the lake that's in his backyard and saw an eagle.
Hay said he knows eagles can't swim and there was another eagle circling above the lake. He suspected the two were fighting.
Hay said he reacted without hesitation and ripped off his shirt, threw off his flip-flops and dived into the water.
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"I threw my phone to the ground too and my wife picked the phone up and started videoing it," said Hay.
The lake is about 100 yards and the eagle landed "smack in the middle of it," according to Hay. He also knew the lake was home to a 7-foot gator.
"I wasn't too concerned about the gator," Hay said matter-of-factly.
He said he grabbed the eagle, and it jumped on his forearm with its talons, causing a few minor injuries.
"I barely made it to shore because I was pretty tired," he recalled.
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He monitored the injured eagle for a couple of hours before it was transferred to the Wildlife Center of Southwest Florida in Venice.
What they're saying
"The eagle is stable. Obviously, the wound is very extensive, it was an open hole close to the thoracic cavity," shared Pam DeFouw, executive director of the Wildlife Center of Southwest Florida. "Over the next couple of weeks our primary focus is pain management and antibiotics for the infection."
After the eagle recovers a bit more, there will be physical therapy for flight.
What we know
DeFouw said she believes the hole is a talon wound and believes the bird did get into a fight with another eagle.
"It is pretty brutal how they fight. It's just part of their survival. It is part of their natural history to do," explained DeFouw.
What we don't know
DeFouw believes the eagle is male based on its size. However, distinguishing between males and females can be challenging. Females are usually larger than males.
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DeFouw is glad the eagle was saved but wants people to remember to prioritize their safety first before jumping into action.
"The key thing is safety first. If you injure yourself, you won't be able to rescue the animal anyway," said DeFouw. "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."
Hay said he always saves animals whenever he can and doesn't regret saving the eagle.
"This is the symbol of America man," he shared.
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The Source
This article was written based on an interview with Doug Hay and information from the Wildlife Center of Southwest Florida.