Giant Eagle Named Kodiak Remains Loose in Pittsburgh

The National Aviary had asked the public to help locate the Stellar's Sea eagle, which lived at the zoo for 15 years before escaping nearly a week ago.

A team of animal care experts are getting closer to capturing Kodiakā€”a Stellarā€™s sea eagle that escaped nearly a week ago from the National Aviary in Pittsburgh.

According to Gizmodo, the giant bird broke out of his enclosure this pastĀ Saturday and has remained on the loose ever since. A number of social media users have posted photos and videos of Kodiak sightings throughout the city; and although the eagle with a nearly six-foot wingspanĀ is hard to miss,Ā zoo employees and animal control have failed to capture Kodiak and bring him home.

šŸ¦… WOW! Hereā€™s a close up video of the Stellerā€™s Sea Eagle named Kodiak that escaped from the @National_Aviary this morning. A group of runners saw him on Pennsylvania Avenue on Pittsburghā€™s North Side. IF YOU SEE THE EAGLE, DONā€™T APPROACH AND CALL 412-323-7235! pic.twitter.com/y8ehO0ycY2

— Jessica Guay (@JessicaGuayTV) September 25, 2021

On Friday afternoon, the National Aviary took to Facebook to confirmĀ the eagle had been located in Pittsburghā€™s North Park area, where he was reportedly ā€œroosting at the highest point of one of the tallest trees.ā€ Animal experts, including the zooā€™s executive directorĀ Cheryl Tracy, camped out in North Park throughout Thursday night, monitoring Kodiakā€™s roost before determining he was still in good health.Ā The team reportedlyĀ tried to lure Kodiak with by placing out food, but the animal never flew towards them.

ā€œWe are extremely grateful to the community for their support in sharing their sightings of Kody with us,ā€ the National Aviary wrote Friday. ā€œHaving had this experience, we are more hopeful that Kody will come home soon, though obviously disappointed that today is so far, not the day. We believe Kody is spending time between North Park, Riverview Park, and may return to Northside areas.ā€

Kodiak is described asĀ a large brown bird with a white tail and white feathers on top of his wings. Those who spot the eagle are asked to contact the National Aviary as soon as possible atĀ 412-323-7235. The zoo also urges residents to keep their distance from Kodiak andĀ avoid any action that may cause him to fly away.

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