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12-APR-2008 f. lang

"Brian" - Rescued Bald Eagle

North Island Wildlife Rescue Centre - Erington, B.C.

"Brian, the eagle named after the dentist who gave of his time to help this eagle, was brought to the centre by volunteers from Rory’s Refuge in Tofino. Apparently residents of Tofino heard a gun shot and saw a truck driving away. They found the bird and quickly took it to Rory’s refuge where it was then transported to the North Island Wildlife Recovery Centre in Errington, BC

The shot blew away most of his upper beak, leaving just the tip, which remained attached to his skull by a thin piece of cartilage. Some veterinarians suggest that Campbell put Brian down but Campbell persevered, and slowly the bird started to recover.

Campbell, believing that where there’s a will, there’s a way, alerted the local newspaper asking if there might be a dentist in the area prepared to give Brian a new beak. That’s when Dr. Brian Andrews from Nanaimo, BC offered his services.

Andrews took an exact mould and then built a wax model for dental technician Fred Leak of Victoria, to work with.

When the mould was ready, Leak constructed a permanent prosthesis and tinted it yellow to match the rest of Brian’s beak."

- N.I.W.R.C.


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Guest 23-Apr-2015 17:24
Hello Fred,
I wrote a short passage for the Nanaimo students about Brian in 2014 The students easily engaged in this story and I would like to ask your permission to use this passage in a reading program for Grades four and five.
I would also like to contact Dr. Brian Andrews to request his permission as well.
Any assistance in this regard would be greatly appreciated,
Donna Klockars,
Retired Literacy Coordinator for SD 68 Nanaimo Ladysmith
Fred11-Oct-2008 02:44
Greetings,

Appreciate your comments however if this is the same eagle ... and in all likelihood it is, there appears to be two accounts of what happened to him ... one being that which you mentioned and the other being the account posted by the North Island Wildlife Recovery Centre in Erington on their website which is almost identical to that which I posted ...

Time permitting I will attempt to check with them but am also interested in where your version of events originated ...

Anyway, it's not my intention to mislead anyone so would like learn the true story in order to post it with the photo ...

I wonder aloud if perhaps this wouldn't be grist for a "Cold Case Files" TV episode ... : )

Cheers,

Fred - Photo Trex
B. Kelly ALLAN 10-Oct-2008 02:13
I'm sorry but the facts of "Brians" rescue by Tofino residents is incorrect...Brian was actually located by an on duty RCMP member in Ahousaht who happened to be passing a large group of locals all looking in the same direction. When the Constable asked what all the excitment was about, one of the residents pointed to a pack of dogs circling the injured eagle. The Constable acted by chasing away the dogs and then wrapping his own patrol jacket around the bird. The eagle was then taken by the police boat to Tofino where he was handed off to Wild Life Rehabilitation workers who then ensured he was transferred elsewhere...presumably to the Raptor Rehabilitaion refuge mid island.
Dennis Swayze20-Apr-2008 14:03
A happy ending to a sad story...hats off to Dr. Brian. Thanks for sharing the great photos and story Fred.
Cheers !
cits_4_pets18-Apr-2008 08:24
Wonderful story & nice shot of Brian! Really shows off his prosthetic beak.
Lindsay Wildlife Museum in Walnut Creek has a bald eagle who fractured a wing & had to have it amputated. He's a permanent resident there. He's in my bird gallery.
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