Standing in anticipation with roughly 175 other people,
waiting for the noon release of two rehabilitated eagles at Grey Snow Eagle
House (GSEH) in Perkins, in the middle of what is about the be a tribal ceremony
for the release of said eagles, I’m a little nervous. I have no idea what to expect. A few minutes before noon, a tribal member begins
the ceremony by explaining the symbolism of the eagle. The Iowa Tribe believes that the eagle is the
only living thing that has seen the face of God and that the eagle carries the
prayers of the people to the Father. After
this short explanation, he prays a moving prayer and then pours out an offering
of tobacco. I later find out that this
is done as a fragrant offering to God, a natural incense that the Creator gave
to us that we can give back to Him.
I stand in awe, trying
to keep tears from rolling down my face, when they open the first cage and the
eagle takes one hop and soars gracefully and peacefully into the sky. This eagle, which was injured and spent a bit
of time at GSEH, has been treated and is now being released back into the
wild. All is quiet for several minutes
while we watch in wonder as this beautiful creature flies like it had never
been injured. After the first eagle can
no longer be seen, the second eagle for the day is released – this marks the
twentieth eagle GSEH has rehabilitated The second eagle hangs around a little longer
and doesn’t fly as far before he lands in a nearby tree for the spectators to
watch and photograph.
A few days later
I got to go visit with Victor Roubidoux, the mastermind behind the Grey Snow
Eagle House. It cost me two homemade
coconut cream pies, but it was well worth it!
Several years ago Victor,
a member of the Iowa Tribe, had the vision for an eagle rehab center. He took his vision to the tribal leaders, never
expecting to be the one heading up the project.
It’s a fitting calling for Victor, since he is Vietnam Vet and a member
of the famed Screaming Eagles of the 101st Airborne.
“Way back then,” he
said, “I never imagined God would have me taking care of eagles.” He counts it
as an honor to be able to do so, and after just a few minutes spent with
Victor, you can tell he is extremely passionate about his work and love of the
birds.
GSEH is currently
home to 56 raptors. The project started
in 2004 with a grant from the US Fish and Wildlife Service, and now 96% of
their funding is from the Iowa Tribe while the other 4% is from donations and
fundraisers. They have 12 different
structures on site that house the birds, ranging from a 150 foot flight cage to
quarantine cages and a full-blown ICU.
When an eagle is
in need of care, staff do a full physical on the bird: blood work, x-rays and
fecal sample. This information is then
sent to veterinarian Dr. Paul Welch of Forest Trails Animal Hospital in Tulsa,
and he evaluates the bird’s needs. If a
bird needs medical attention, Dr. Welch does not charge for his services, only
for medications if the bird needs it.
When possible,
the birds are released back to the area from which they were rescued. Often, however, the Oklahoma Wildlife
Department contacts GSEH with a bird that needs medical attention and staff do
not know where exactly the bird was found. In those cases, the bird is released
at the facility in Perkins.
The birds are
given the upmost respect during their stay at GSEH and the ones that are not
able to be released back into the wild are treated like kings and queens. Staff member Abraham Lincoln gave me tour of
the cages, and I found very clean facilities with water holes, perches, and toys. For those birds that can’t fly onto a perch,
they have handicap ramps. Abraham told
me cages are cleaned daily, the feathers are picked up and stored for tribal
members, and the cages are power washed and disinfected 2-3 times each month. The birds are fed a diet of fish, rabbits,
quail, and rats. During the summer, camp
kids go fishing for perch to put in the small ponds in the cages for an additional
treat for the birds. When an eagle dies,
it is buried with feathers intact and with a ceremonial funeral.
I asked Abraham, who
started volunteering at GSEH when he was 12 years old, what he enjoyed most
about working at GSEH. “It is being able to go out and pick up an injured
eagle, bring it back to the facility for care and, after rehabbing it and watching
it fly again in the flight cage, getting to release it back into the wild. It is something that few can say they get to
do during their lifetime.” He says he
can’t imagine ever working anywhere else, and his goal is to make a career out
of working with eagles.
Victor said they
are hoping to be able to build a visitor center in the future. Since they opened to the public they have
had over twelve thousand visitors from across the world. They are open for tours on Saturday and
Sunday by appointment only, but they are only able to host 25-30 people per day
because of space constraints. They also
offer school tours during the week, again by appointment only. You can find Grey Snow Eagle House at www.facebook.com/greysnoweaglehouse, www.eagles.iowanation.org, or call
405-334-7471. You can follow their Facebook
page for updates on releases and events that take place.
Take the time to head
south of Perkins on The Corridor to the Grey Snow Eagle House. It will be worth
your time!
Entrance to GSEH
Victor Roubidoux releases one of the 2 eagles on January 30, 2016 at the Grey Snow Eagle House in Perkins, OK. Bringing the total of eagles released back into the wild to 20
Victor Roubidoux and Abraham Lincoln releases one of the 2 eagles on January 30, 2016 at the Grey Snow Eagle House in Perkins, OK. Bringing the total of eagles released back into the wild to 20
One of the 2 eagles on January 30, 2016 at the Grey Snow Eagle House in Perkins, OK. Bringing the total of eagles released back into the wild to 20
One of the 2 eagles on January 30, 2016 at the Grey Snow Eagle House in Perkins, OK. Bringing the total of eagles released back into the wild to 20
One of
the 2 eagles on January 30, 2016 at the Grey Snow Eagle House in Perkins,
OK. Bringing the total of eagles
released back into the wild to 20
Scrapper is a mature bald eagle that came from Wisconsin in 2011. He was hit by a car and sustained neck injuries. As a result of his injuries, he holds his wings up and away from his body. Scrapper is a happy bird that likes to talk and fly around the main flight cage.
At their forever home, these 2 eagles have permanent damage and cannot be released back into the wild for fear of a quick death.
Inside of one of the cages that house some of the eagles that cannot be released back into the wild
Staff at GSEH work do a physical on an eagle
