Archie’s story
In April 1988, in the wilds of a Canadian forest, a Bald Eagle egg hatched. Within days a forest fire raged through the area and firefighters struggled tirelessly to control the blaze. In a last ditch attempt to stop the fires rampage a swathe of trees were felled to create a fire break. That was when the world literally came crashing down around the young bald eagle. Once on the ground the young eagle chick was rescued by forest rangers and taken to the Thompson Zoo in Manitoba, where he was hand raised by the keepers. At eight months of age, and now imprinted upon humans, the decision was taken by the Canadian authorities that this bird could not safely be released back to the wild. That was when he came to Paradise Park. Seeing Archie, as he became known, has become one of the highlights of a visit to Paradise Park ever since, flying above the crowds at the daily ‘Eagles of Paradise’ display.
A Bald Eagle’s diet consists mainly of fish, but it is an opportunistic feeder. They prefer habitats near seacoasts, rivers, large lakes, oceans, and other large bodies of open water with an abundance of fish and hunt by swooping down and snatching the fish out of the water with its talons. They reach 35–43 mph when gliding and flapping and when they dive it’s between 75–99 mph, although they seldom dive vertically. Considered a sacred bird in some North American cultures, the Bald Eagle is the national bird of the United States of America.
For more information on the daily events and flying times please visit www.paradisepark.org.uk
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