LINVILLE, N.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS) — Grandfather Mountain has bid farewell to Ajax the bald eagle.
Park officials say Ajax died Wednesday, Feb. 5, following complications from an infection he developed. The eagle was 11 years old.
“We will miss his strength and confidence,” said Christie Tipton, animal habitats curator for the Grandfather Mountain Stewardship Foundation. “He was always so regal and stately.”
Ajax arrived at Grandfather Mountain, home the mile-high swinging bridge, on Aug. 26, 2015, when he was estimated to be about 1 1/2 years old.
He came from the Audubon Center for Birds of Prey in central Florida, after falling from his nest on a golf course. The fall left him with a broken clavicle and humerus in his wing and a broken femur in his leg. He was taken to the raptor center to be given medical care in hopes of recovery and to eventually be released back into the wild.
The eagle’s injuries did not heal well enough for him to be able to fly long distances, leaving him unable to hunt for live prey or migrate. Therefore, he was brought to Grandfather to live with Griffin, the mountain’s older resident bald eagle.
Grandfather Mountain officials say it took a little while for Ajax to get to know his new home. He could often be seen flying to different perches in the habitat and basking in the sun.
He loved to play in the pond and enjoyed the trout that were provided as an enrichment. He especially enjoyed hanging out close to his fellow bald eagle, Griffin, and even sometimes sharing a perch.
For those looking to honor Ajax’s legacy, donations can be made in his memory to the Grandfather Mountain Stewardship Foundation. Those gifts will aid in the care of its resident animals.
