Rush City, Minnesota – A U.S. Army veteran helped a bald eagle that was trapped in a tree by using his sharp-shooting skills, on the eve of Independence Day. Jackie Gervais Galvin, the proud wife of the veteran, shared the story on her Facebook page.

The wife of Jason Galvin, an Army veteran who served in Afghanistan, wrote on her profile that his husband noticed the eagle hanging upside down from a tree near their cabin in Rush City. The eagle got its foot tangled with a rope that was wrapped around a tree branch, more than 70 feet off the ground.

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The bald eagle trapped in a Minnesota tree. Photo courtesy of Jackie Gervais Galvin/ channelnewsasia

At first, they thought the eagle was dead, but after looking closer with a pair of binoculars, they noticed it was moving its head, Jason told CBS Local.

Afterward, Jackie called the Sheriff’s office, the city hall, the fire department, the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) but they all answered the same: the eagle had been there for 2 ½ days, and there was nothing they could do about it. They even told them the eagle was dead, and what they saw was “the wind blowing it,” Jackie accounts on her status.

The veteran fired 150 shots until the rope gave in

Not content with the answer from the authorities, the couple decided to handle the issue themselves. Jackie suggested Jason to try to shoot the rope. After some hesitation -because being America’s national bird, it is an actively protected species – he agreed.

The DNR arrived and gave the sharp shooter permission to proceed. They talked to a neighbor that was driving by, and he leaned Jason his .22-caliber rifle with a scope. “It was windy, and he only had about 4″ of rope to shoot without hitting the eagle,” Jackie stated. Jason shot 150 times at the rope during an hour and a half until it finally broke.

The eagle then fell from the branch, and a neighbor and a DNR officer wrapped it in a blanket to give it to the DNR. The eagle was taken to the Raptor Center at the University of Minnesota. It will be treated there, though not a single bullet touched the animal.

The Fourth of July holiday served as an inspiration for the eagle’s name. “We named the eagle Freedom and hope to be able to release him near his home once he is back to health!”, Jackie shared on her Facebook page.

The Center will take care of the eagle. According to CBS Local, if the eagle recovers soon, they will release it where it was found. If the recovery takes longer, they will take it to a nature center where older Eagles will teach it how to hunt.

Source: CBS Local – Minnesota