Bald Eagle Survives Hurricane Matthew, Then Gets Stuck In Car Grille

Aren’t cats supposed to be the ones with nine lives?

A bald eagle cheated death twice first, when Hurricane Matthew  passed through Florida and then when it got stuck inside the grille of a car.

A driver named Billi spotted the 7-year-old male bird dangling from the front of an oncoming vehicle near Jacksonville on Saturday. Initially, she thought it was a toy but soon realized that the bird’s head was moving.

Billi pursued the car and alerted the driver, who she said was completely oblivious to the situation, and then dialed 911.

Clay County Sheriff’s Office deputies and Clay Fire Rescue personnel arrived on the scene, cut the side of the grille open and pulled the bird out. Incredibly, it hadn’t suffered any serious injuries from its terrifying ordeal.

They handed the bald eagle — America’s national bird — over to the Bird Emergency Aid and Kare Sanctuary  in nearby Talbot Island. 

He is “standing up and alert ,” sanctuary owner Cynthia Mosling who herself evacuated inland as a safety precaution during the storm told CNN .

Mosling is now taking the bird, who she has named “Matthew,” back to the center and will release him if she finds him to be healthy.