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One Good Deed In A Wicked World

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Nov. 4, 2010

EAGLE MITCH LANDS AT BERKSHIRE BIRD PARADISE
Petersburgh, NY Nov. 4, 2010

After 137 days, the eagle is landing – but it took the help of Senator Schumer, The World Conservation Society, the White House and the US Department of State.
Eagle Mitch, a Steppe Eagle, was rescued by US Troops in Afghanistan after he was shot in the wing. The young servicemen healed his wound, built him a cage and cared for him for months. When realized he would never fly again they contacted Berkshire BIrd Paradise, a bird sanctuary in Petersburgh NY, to get him to the US and provide a permanent home for him. Sanctuary owner Pete Dubacher, who began his bird rescue when he was in service during the Vietnam war, sought the help of author Barbara Chepaitis. She had recently released the book Feathers of Hope, which is about the sanctuary.
“I was amazed at how many people told us this couldn’t be done – and how close they were to being right,” Chepaitis said. “We had to enlist the help of some pretty big powers to get Eagle Mitch through the red tape, but we did it.”
Initial objections from Federal Fish and WIldlife and the USDA, along with the difficulty of completing export papers in Afghanistan were just some of the larger obstacles to be overcome, but Chepaitis was able to secure the help of Senator Schumer’s office and the White House Office of Public Engagement to get the job done.
“My stance was that these young men, in a war zone, had taken the trouble to show compassion, and we have to applaud that. We spend a lot of time complaining about what’s wrong with the world. It’s important to also support what’s right.”
Eagle Mitch arrived at a military base in Virginia in early October, and was flown by the rescue group Pilots N Paws to a 30 day USDA quarantine in Newburgh New York. He is doing well in his quarantine, described as “Proud and Perky.”
He is scheduled to arrive at Berkshire BIrd Paradise on Monday afternoon, November eighth.
Dubacher said, “This is a tribute to what good things can happen when people pull together. He’ll be here for Veteran’s Day, and that seems right all around.”

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This entry was posted on Thursday, November 4th, 2010 at 11:44 am and is filed under Clients, Friends and Colleagues, Industry News, Press Releases, Reviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

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