The David Traylor Zoo of Emporia’s newest member seems happy with her new surroundings.
Dottie, a female bald eagle, now joins the zoo’s other eagle, a male, who does not yet have a name. Dottie sat perched this morning on the top branch of the eagle exhibit while the male eagle sat below.
“She wanted the top perch from the beginning, and he gave it to her,” said Steve Trebilcock, the zoo’s director.
Dottie was found with a dislocated shoulder in Alaska. The shoulder couldn’t be repaired enough for Dottie to be released back into the wild. Dottie can fly a little bit, but not enough.
“She can’t hunt on her own,” Trebilcock said.
Dottie arrived to Emporia’s zoo in October, but was quarantined for a period of time before she could join her new mate. Trebilcock said the transition has been smooth for both eagles. They both sat quietly in the eagle exhibit watching their surroundings.
“What you see now is pretty much like it was (when they were first introduced),” Trebilcock said.
Representatives from Emporia State Bank were on hand to view the birds this morning. Jim Wayman, president, and Karen Sommers, vice-president of marketing, were there to view the birds.
Emporia State Bank donated the money to build the exhibit and donated the $250 is took to get Dottie to Emporia.
“It’s fun to see her looking (so) natural,” Wayman said as he looked at the birds. “It’s magnificent.”
Trebilcock said he is happy to see the birds in the exhibit together.
“We’re really happy to see them,” he said. “There is not any aggression.”