Injured bald eagle ‘Trooper’ returned to wild after rescue by Kentucky State Police

A young bald eagle is back in the wild after a Kentucky State Police trooper helped rescue the injured bird of prey in Laurel County.

The eagle, fittingly named “Trooper” in honor of his rescuer, was released Friday at Laurel Lake near Holly Bay Beach, surrounded by the state troopers and wildlife rehabilitators who saved his life.

The rescue began on June 30, when KSP Post 11 in London received a call about a distressed juvenile bald eagle that was unable to fly near Collins Lane in Corbin, Kentucky.

Trooper Trey Lovins responded to the scene, located the young eagle, and successfully captured the bird without further injury.

Following the capture, Post 11 troopers contacted the Liberty Nature Center’s Lake Cumberland Wildlife Refuge in Somerset, Kentucky, a facility specializing in the rehabilitation of raptors and other birds of prey. Trooper Lovins personally transported the eagle to the nature center, releasing him into the care of wildlife professionals.

After a month of rehabilitation and care, the refuge cleared the eagle for release.

On July 31, representatives from both KSP and the Lake Cumberland Wildlife Refuge gathered to watch “Trooper” soar back into the Kentucky skies.