Murphy the Eagle has been given a rough hand in life. First, this eagle suffered from a broken leg. Although the World Bird Sanctuary rescued him, and his leg healed, the effects of that injury remain. Due to that injury, Murphy remains a flightless eagle. However, being flightless didn't stop him from pursuing his other dreams. This eagle really wanted to be a parent. There was only one problem: there were no eaglets! That didn't stop Murphy either! This flightless eagle has been caring for a rock like a bald eagle egg!
Flightless Eagle Finally Gets His Eaglets
Screenshot from Facebook
Although incubating a rock seems odd, the sanctuary assured people that Murphy was fine. The World Bird Sanctuary told The Washington Post, "Murphy is not hurt, sick, or otherwise in distress. He has built a nest on the ground and is very carefully incubating a rock. We wish him the best of luck!" Murphy was a very dedicated father. The Smithsonian Magazine shares that Murphy "became so aggressive in protecting his nest that he had to be moved to a separate enclosure."
If you are starting to feel bad for Murphy, don't worry. He finally got his happy ending the other day. A storm had knocked an eaglet from its nest in Ste. Genevieve, Missouri, and now that eaglet needed a new home. Murphy, the flightless eagle, seemed like the perfect candidate for an adoptive father. The staff at the sanctuary started the bonding process by first removing Murphy's rock baby.
Next, they placed the eaglet in a protected cage at the sanctuary. The Smithsonian shares the following quote from the sanctuary: "He was already showing the hormonal aspects of raising a chick, and he was taking such good care of his rock that we decided that he would be our best bet."
Muprhy: The Best Eagle Dad In The World
Screenshot from Facebook
After the initial bonding period, the cage was removed from the eagle's sanctuary. Murphy flew into action immediately. He got himself a fish dinner and ripped it into tiny pieces to feed his new baby. Nothing screams good parent more than sharing your food with your baby. Murphy continued to take care of the eaglet, and the World Bird Sanctuary shared updates often via Facebook.
The staff plans to heal the eaglet and then release it back into the wild. While fans may worry about Murphy's reaction to this, the staff swears that our flightless eagle will know when the time is right. Well, that time came, and Murphy had to part ways with his eaglet; however, his job wasn't done.
Another eaglet came to the sanctuary in need of a loving father. Murphy, the flightless eagle, was the perfect eagle for the job. Now, he gets to continue to live out his dreams of being a father. Watch Murphy's parenting journey with his new eaglet in the video below.
