'Best rescue ever': Bald eagle found 'frozen' in Alaska released after thawing out at police station

A good Samaritan flagged down a police officer Saturday after finding the young raptor "quite frozen and unable to fly."

A juvenile bald eagle found "frozen and unable to fly" in Alaska over the weekend was successfully released back into the wild after thawing out, officials said.

The Fairbanks Airport Police and Fire Department said a good Samaritan flagged down an officer Saturday after finding the young raptor "quite frozen and unable to fly." A photo shared by the department shows the eagle sprawled out in the snow next to a chain-link fence.

Police consulted the Alaska Raptor Center for advice and it was decided that the eagle would be secured in the back of a patrol car to warm up. The eagle was brought to a "dark, quiet corner of the station" to rest until it could thaw and dry out. Additional photos showed the eagle sitting in the police car.

The eagle remained in police custody overnight until representatives from Alaska Fish and Game and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service could come examine the bird on Sunday.

"After resting peacefully in a kennel in the Chief’s bay, getting fed salmon filets and fatty steak and getting all dry, our little guy/gal seemed ready to fly the coop (pun intended)," police said in an update Sunday. Wildlife officials examined the eagle and found it was in "excellent physical condition" with no apparent injuries or signs of illness.

The police department shared a video of the eagle being released back into the wild in the Fairbanks area on Sunday, marking the "best ending ever" to the story.

"Even though we would have loved to have kept the little eagle we helped rescue last night as our new mascot, it had to be returned to the wild to do all the fun raptor things," police said. "We wish every day could be as exciting as this one was!"

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