ST PAUL, Minn. — The bald eagle has long been a symbol of strength.
But when America's bird needed some help, a Wisconsin teenager was there to save it.
Fifteen-year-old Grant Fortney was fishing with his dad on Sunday at Mary Park in New Richmond, Wisconsin when they first noticed the bird overhead.
“And then she goes down into the water to go for a fish, probably, and then once she was in the water, she wouldn't go back up,” said Fortney. “Eagles shouldn't be in the water that long, so something has to be wrong.”
A closer look and it was clear the bird was covered in moss, entangled in weeds and getting tired.
“The moss was everywhere and it was all around her feet, so it had no ability to get up,” said Fortney. “It was on its back, so I think the moss would have taken it all the way down eventually.”
Fortney used his oar to clean off the mess and support the eagle’s feet. The bird would eventually find his footing on the front of Fortney’s boat and stay there until they got to shore. A volunteer from the Raptor Center – University of Minnesota helped them from there.
At one point, Fortney said the bird seemed confused and scared, and got stuck under a dock at the park’s boat launch.
“I was scared, not going to lie,” said Fortney. “I was worried she was going to come at me because I'm sitting right in the front with her.”
The teenager, known for his hard work at Gibby’s restaurant in town, also has a big heart, according to his mom, Angela Tellijohn.
“He first said, a new pet and I’m like, what,” said Tellijohn, remembering her son’s text with video of the rescue. “Then when he told me he rescued it, I mean, that’s just a cool story.”
It’s one that the Fortney family hopes has a happy ending.
“Makes me think what a caring heart he really has and we need more of that,” said Tellijohn.
“Hopefully it’ll make a full recovery and I'll be able to watch it take back off to her home,” said Fortney.
The Raptor Center confirms the bald eagle is an adult female and currently in the hospital. The spokesperson says she has some superficial wounds and still lethargic. Hospital staff say they’re running more tests to find an answer and provide her with expert care to recover.
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