SEELEY LAKE, Mont. — A golden eagle found caught in a snare trap near the canoe trails north of Seeley Lake was rescued late Wednesday afternoon after Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks received a call about the bird.
The person who reported the eagle did not approach it and called for help immediately, a decision described as critical because “time is of the essence in these situations.”
Jesse Varnado, assistant director at Wild Skies Raptor Center approached by taking “the long way around” to get as close as possible before the bird began to struggle, then moved in to contain it so a warden could cut the snare as the eagle was being strangled.
The incident also highlighted concerns about eagles being unintentionally caught in traps and those cases going unreported.
The raptor rehabilitator who responded said that in nearly 20 years of raptor rehabilitation, they knew of only one incident in Montana in which a trapper brought an eagle to a rehabilitation facility.
In that case, the injuries were so severe the bird had to be euthanized. More commonly, they said, incidental captures go unreported, and if a bird survives it may be released and later die from injuries sustained while struggling in the trap.
The rehabilitator said they have had to euthanize eagles with those types of injuries.
Data from satellite telemetry work by Raptor View Research Institute has also documented trap-related deaths, according to the rehabilitator.
Roughly six eagles with transmitters from the institute have been killed in traps over the years, they said, and only two were reported by the trapper, both in Canada.
Traps are a known significant cause of mortality for golden eagles.
A recent study of golden eagle mortalities by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service found that hundreds of golden eagles die from traps annually in the West, according to the rehabilitator, citing Millsap et al. 2022.
“This isn’t new, but it’s an issue we must remain aware of,” the rehabilitator said, adding that the focus remains on talking about the issue, offering help and providing care to raptors in need.
They said several factors helped this eagle survive, and they expressed gratitude to the person who reported the bird and to the warden who helped get it the care needed to survive.
Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks released the following statement:
Wild Skies Raptor Center is where it was taken and is being care for. It sounds like the eagle will probably be ok due to the quick response time and care it is receiving. A FWP warden did go to the site shortly after the incident was reported, helped release the eagle and is now investigating for any potential trapping violations.
In general, if someone sees a non-target animal trapped, they should leave it alone, keep their distance, and report it to FWP. Trappers are required to report any non-target captures they have as well.
Trapping regulations and specific lessons in trapper education classes are aimed at preventing as many of these non-target captures as possible, but they do happen from time to time. When they do, FWP responds and initiates an investigation.