Florida man risks alligator encounter to save struggling bald eagle

Doug Hay spotted the eagle flailing in the water and jumped in, knowing a 7-foot alligator lived in the lake. “I’d do it again,” he said.

A Florida man is being called a hero after swimming into a gator-inhabited lake to rescue a struggling bald eagle — and the dramatic moment was caught on camera.

Doug Hay, 69, of Lakewood Ranch, heard a splash on April 19 and spotted a bald eagle flailing in the middle of the lake behind his home. He knew the water was home to at least one 7-foot alligator — but he didn’t hesitate.

“I saw the eagle smack in the middle of the lake,” Hay told FOX 13 Tampa Bay. “And I knew that gator was in there.”

Despite the risk, Hay swam the 100-yard stretch, reaching the eagle, which immediately clamped onto his arm with its talons. Exhausted, Hay barely made it back to shore, where his wife captured the rescue on video.

Justin Matthews, a local wildlife trapper, responded to Hay’s call. “Doug said a gator went for the eagle — and backed off when he swam out,” Matthews wrote on Facebook. “I saw the injury right away and got him to the rescue center. It could’ve been a bite.”

Wildlife officials believe the eagle may have been injured during a fight with another eagle seen circling overhead. According to the National Eagle Center, bald eagles can swim using their wings if they grab prey too heavy to lift, but this bird never had a chance. It was found with a serious wound to its chest, possibly from another eagle or a gator bite. Hay said in a Facebook comment that the lake is home to an alligator named Snoop.

The Wildlife Center of Southwest Florida is now caring for the injured bird. The eagle had an “open hole” near its thoracic cavity and will take weeks to recover.

Hay, who suffered scratches from the rescue, said he’d do it all again. “It’s the symbol of America,” he told reporters.

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