Coeur d’Alene Tribe to open eagle aviary, a Northwest first

COEUR D’ALENE, Idaho (AP) — The Northwest’s first tribal eagle aviary is opening on the Coeur d’Alene Indian Reservation.

The Spokesman-Review reports (http://bit.ly/2dN8WGi ) that the Coeur d’Alene Tribe is partnering with the nonprofit Birds of Prey Northwest to create The House of the Bald Eagle for birds that have been injured and can’t survive in the wild.

Seven other tribes have U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service permits to operate eagle aviaries, but they are all in the Southwest.

The permit allows the tribe to keep captive eagles and collect their feathers for ceremonial and religious use.

There are about 80 raptor rehabilitation facilities in the region. Eagles that recover but can’t live on their own need permanent homes, and the Fish and Wildlife Service says the need has grown with the resurgence of bald and golden eagle populations.

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Information from: Coeur d’Alene Press, http://www.cdapress.com