Tulsa Zoo Introduces Sutton
DAVID JONES for GTR Newspapers
NEW NEST: It may not be what he’s used to but Sutton, the Tulsa Zoo’s new bald eagle, seems to be settling in nicely to his new surroundings.
Sutton is named for his “parents.” Hatched and raised by the Sutton Avian Research Center in Bartlesville, he was one of 275 eagles released to the wild in the 1980s. A number stamped on a leg band shows that he is 21 years old. Zoo personnel say he can live to be 30 to 35 or even more in captivity.
He was found by the banks of the Arkansas River near Muskogee with a badly damaged wing and blind in one eye. He can fly but lacks the ability to make the adjustments necessary in hunting. Since he can no longer survive in the wild, the Tulsa Zoo was given permission to take care of him. Zoo officials believe he once had a mate and they are looking for a female eagle to join him.
Updated 11-20-2007
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