Photo of Bald Eagle Stuck in Car Grill Becomes a Most Fitting Symbol For America in 2016

Viral Randomness...

The bald eagle is a proud and noble creature that the United States chose long ago to be its national symbol. But this particular bald eagle, trapped in the grille of a car in Florida, has become a much more appropriate symbol for America in 2016. Ladies and gentlemen, start your meme engines.

Bald eagle trapped in the grille of a car in Florida (Clay County Sheriff’s Office, Facebook)

Source: gizmodo

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Matthew, the Eagle is Alive and Recovering...

(From TIME):

Billi West and her son, Zachary, were driving south on a highway in Florida in the wake of Hurricane Matthew, which roared through the Caribbean and up against the southeastern U.S. last week, to see if their lake property had suffered any damage in the storm. A traffic light was out, so it was when they were at a four-way stop that they saw it: a grey sedan, turning in front of them, with an eagle lodged in the grill.

“Some people put hood ornaments on their cars so when I first saw it, I said to my son, ‘did you see that?” West recalled. “Then it turned and looked at me, and I turned to my son … ‘Oh my gosh, it’s alive!'”The driver of the vehicle was on his way to the bank when two eagles flew in front of him. When he looked in his rearview mirror, he saw one flying away, so he didn’t think he actually hit one. “He had no way
 of knowing he hit the eagle until we stopped him,” West said.

“We called fire rescue, thinking they would have thick gloves and a jacket, and my son ran to our house to get a dog kennel,” she said. After an unsuccessful attempt to unscrew the car’s grill and free the bird, another officer suggested cutting the grill. The driver agreed. With something like a hacksaw, they pushed a piece of the grill back and eased the eagle into the crate. 

West drove the eagle to the B.E.A.K.S. wildlife rehabilitation sanctuary—and snapped a selfie with it before handing it over. Once there, she and her son were asked what to call it: “We named him Matthew.”

(From Clay County Sheriff’s Office, Facebook):

The bird is alive and was turned over to the B.E.A.K.S. Wildlife Sanctuary. Great Job by all involved.

Source(s): gizmodo | time | facebook