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Bald Eagle Selfie: Brothers Pose With Bird They Rescued From Trap

Micheal and Neil Fletcher took the photo of a lifetime after rescuing a bald eagle from a hunting trap.
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Two Canadian brothers who rescued a bald eagle from a trap took the rare chance to snap a selfie with the stately creature before setting it free.

Michael Fletcher, 29, said he was hunting with his brother, Neil, near Ontario’s Windy Lake on Tuesday, when they stumbled upon the majestic bird caught in a hunting trap.

Michael and Neil Fletcher, of Sudbury, Ontario, took a selfie with a bald eagle they rescued from a hunting trap in Canada.
Michael and Neil Fletcher, of Sudbury, Ontario, took a selfie with a bald eagle they rescued from a hunting trap in Canada.

They knew they had to do something, but freeing the animal was no easy task. “When we got close to the bird, it tried to fly away. So I took my hoodie off and put it around its head, it calmed it right down,” Fletcher told NBC News on Saturday.

After that, “it took a while to open the trap,” he added.

The brothers captured the effort on video, posted to Michael’s Facebook page. In it, they can be seen struggling with the trap for at least three minutes while an excitable — and probably curious — golden retriever hovers.

Fletcher said the eagle was calm once out of the trap, and the brothers decided take a selfie with their rescue before they let the bird fly free — a moment also captured on video.

Fletcher said he doesn’t believe the bird was injured, but the eagle flew low and wobbled for a moment before ascending gracefully into the distance.