Essex county and Turtle Back Zoo officials welcome Freedom, a 4-year-old bald eagle, to the zoo’s new bald eagle exhibit on March 10.
WEST ORANGE, NJ — On March 10, Turtle Back Zoo opened its new bald eagle exhibit and welcomed Freedom, a 4-year-old bald eagle, to the Turtle Back animal family. Freedom was rescued from a tree in Minnesota after becoming tangled in rope and branches.
“We are pleased to open a new and improved bald eagle exhibit in our Wild New Jersey area. This will enhance our visitors’ experience and provide them with a better viewing area to see the bald eagles,” Essex County Executive Joseph DiVincenzo Jr. said. “Welcoming Freedom as the newest member of our animal family displays the important role that zoos have in conservation efforts and raising awareness about the dangers that threaten wildlife and the environment.”
Joining the county executive at the dedication were N.J. State Sen. and Deputy Chief of Staff Teresa Ruiz and Essex County Board of Commissioners President Wayne Richardson, Vice President Carlos Pomares, and Commissioners Brendan Gill and Len Luciano.
The previous bald eagle exhibit was damaged during a storm in 2019. Since the exhibit was created as part of the Wild New Jersey area in 2007, animal care standards have evolved. To repair the exhibit and update its design to meet current requirements, a new exhibit was created. The tree in the center of the exhibit provides the eagles with a place to perch and an accompanying structure provides indoor space to hold the birds if they ever need to be removed from the exhibit area. Work started in August 2020 and took five months to complete.
“As the new Turtle Back Zoo director, it is exciting to be opening a new exhibit and welcoming an animal with such a compelling story,” TBZ Director Jillian Fazio said. “Thank you to the county executive for giving me this opportunity and for his continued investment to make Turtle Back the family-friendly and educational resource it has become.”
The engineering firm of French and Parrello from Wall received a professional services contract for $81,500 to design the new exhibit and provide inspection services during construction. ZN Construction from Saddle Brook was awarded a publicly bid contract for $1,272,000 to perform the construction work. The project was funded with a grant from the Essex County Recreation and Open Space Trust Fund.
Four years ago, Freedom became entangled in a rope and was discovered hanging upside down in a tree in Minnesota. He would have died if he were left hanging there. He was saved by U.S. Army veteran Jason Galvin, who noticed the trapped bird while driving by. Galvin called local police and fire departments and the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources to rescue the eagle, but none were able to help because of how high up in the tree the bird was caught. With permission from the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, Galvin, an Army sharpshooter, used a .22 caliber rifle to shoot through the branches and ropes in which Freedom was tangled. It took 150 shots fired over the course of 90 minutes to free the bird. Freedom survived the 75-foot fall from the tree and was taken by Galvin and his wife to the University of Minnesota’s Raptor Center, where he had been living and recovering for the last four years. Freedom now joins female eagle Adak, who came to Turtle Back Zoo in 1997 from the Bergen County Zoo.
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