PIGEON FORGE, Tenn. (Story of Courtesy of WVLT) – Three bald eagles are missing from the Eagle Mountain Sanctuary at Dollywood, according to the American Eagle Foundation.
The foundation said storm damage to an aviary allowed multiple eagles to escape.
“We currently have team members deployed to track the birds. We have protocols for tracking and returning bald eagles, who are primarily food motivated,” a spokesperson for the American Eagle Foundation said.
Dollywood said in a social media post Sunday morning that overnight storms caused a tree near Eagle Mountain Sanctuary to be uprooted, compromising the aviary.
Not all of the eagles were able to fly away. At least 26 eagles were secured and relocated to the American Eagle Foundation headquarters in Kodak, Tennessee, according to spokesperson Crystal Slusher.
An avian care team assessed the secured birds and determined that one of them was distressed. The AEF said that the particular eagle received medical care and is recovering.
The others are being housed in outdoor aviaries at AEF headquarters.
All “Wings of America” shows at Dollywood are canceled for multiple days.
Dollywood said in an update on Monday that the area is still closed as crews continue working to repair the damage. Officials said the plan is to have everything back open by Wednesday.
