Wayward Alaskan eagle monitored by researchers found in Kamloops, B.C.

The young golden eagle was found weak and starving just before the new year on the shore of the Thompson River. (Photo: BC Wildlife Park/Facebook)

VANCOUVER — Staff at a bird rehabilitation centre in Kamloops, B.C., typically don’t know where their rescued animals originally came from, but a recently discovered golden eagle was able to reveal just that.

The young golden eagle was found weak and starving just before the new year on the shore of the Thompson River.

Residents who spotted the bird called the Conservation Officer Service, which brought it to Fawcett Family Wildlife Health Centre — the only facility of its kind within a 400 kilometre radius.

Animal care supervisor Adrienne Clay says officers noticed right away that the eagle was both banded and carrying a GPS tracker.

Clay says staff were quickly able to determine the eagle was being monitored by researchers in Alaska, and it appears the bird — that’s less than a year old — wasn’t able to keep up with the rest of its flock while heading south for winter migration.

The eagle is expected to make a full recovery and Clay says it will be released back into the wild this spring.