A Minnesota Driver Rescued An Injured Bald Eagle From Highway 77 Friday!

Minnesota 'nice' (whether you believe it exists or not, but that's another story) also extends to animals. Video of a man driving a van on Highway 77 Friday morning shows him pulling over onto the shoulder to rescue what appears to be an injured bald eagle. Incredible.

The video was shared by the Facebook page MN Crime, which credited the social media people over at MN Safety for sharing the MnDOT video.

You can see in the video the man has pulled over, slightly ahead of the injured bald eagle along what MN Safety and MN Crime stated was Highway 77 in Eagan. The man pulls a blanket or something like it from the back of the van he is driving and puts it over the back of the injured bird. After having put something between him and the birds beak and talons he attempts to pick the bird up.

The first attempt seems to surprise both the man, probably on how heavy the bird is, and the bird which is more than likely scared and obviously injured.

After regrouping the man is able to get the bird out of the lane of traffic and appears to load the bird into the back of his work van.

If you encounter an injured bald eagle it's generally best to contact a non-emergency or a rehabilitation center to see what you should do next, or have someone come out and handle the situation.

The Minnesota DNR has information in regards to what to do in the event you come across an injured animal, but the best advice the DNR offers those wanting to assist wild animals is;

“If you care, leave it there” before you decide to rescue an injured animal. Keep in mind that rehabilitation can be difficult, expensive, and has varying degrees of success. Nearly all rehabbers rely on donations to support rehab costs. Issues of disease must be carefully considered. - MN DNR

It's unclear as to what happened with the eagle that was moved off the road.