Help Name Our New Bald Eagle!

For a full year we have been working with this magnificent bald eagle. He has experienced more than his share of tough times.

His initial, unrealized injury, was a shotgun blast to the face and body while he was living in the wild near Dayton, Ohio. A gentleman found him on the side of a two-lane highway. He was taken to the Glen Helen Raptor Center for rehabilitation. That staff was unaware that he had been shot, only that he was blind in one eye. From that safe place, he came to the Black Hills Raptor Center as an avian ambassador candidate.

A tiny team of dedicated volunteers began training him. He still needed medical treatment at that point, and the trainers realized he had wounds that would not heal in full. In January, he was transported to the University of Minnesota’s Raptor Center, and x-rays showed the extent of his shotgun-caused injuries.

Truly a fighter, this bald eagle had about one inch of his left wing amputated by the vets at the University of Minnesota. He healed completely from the surgery, and after six weeks he returned to the Black Hills Raptor Center to readjust and continue his training.

We want to honor our Indigenous relatives by naming him a descriptive word from the Lakota language. We know that eagles are held in highest esteem among native peoples. We have spoken to several Lakota language speakers, and gotten their input on our choice of names. We also wanted to select names with a one or two word length, that we could pronounce correctly.

Help us name this tenacious bald eagle! Proceeds from this contest will be used to buy food, vaccinations, and equipment for him. Each domestically raised mouse used in training costs us $1.00. He eats a wide variety of food, but his favorites seem to be rabbit, pheasant, chicken, rat, and venison. In the wild, bald eagles catch many fish. However, he only eats salmon. We are a bit taken aback by his choice, but we provide his preference when we can!

We are thrilled to ask our community of supporters to play a part in this bird’s life – a name lasts forever, and by voting, you will be part of our legacy.

How does it work?

Each vote costs $1.00. Click on the tab with the name you like the best. Then under Vote Here, scroll down to choose the number of votes you want, and to pay for your votes.
Remember, each $1.00 is one vote.
You can vote as many times as you like for the length of the contest.
The name that receives the most votes will become his name.

In honor of our nation’s 250th birthday, we are closing the contest on July 3, and announcing his new name on July 4th.