I was just about to post the local story...
http://www.recordonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20101109/NEWS/11090319By Michael Randall
Times Herald-Record
Published: 2:00 AM - 11/09/10
STEWART AIRPORT — Mitch, the Steppe Eagle from Afghanistan, headed north Monday to his new home upstate.
It was the last leg in a journey that began last spring when he was wounded by an Afghan soldier who apparently used him for target practice.
But before he left for upstate, Mitch waited outside the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Animal Import Center — where he spent the past 30 days in quarantine — long enough to receive a blessing from the Rev. Kevin Mackin, president of Mount Saint Mary College.
Then he was off to join more than 1,200 other birds at the Berkshire Bird Paradise, a sanctuary in Petersburgh, near Albany. It was founded by Pete Dubacher, who's been rescuing birds since the Vietnam War.
Author Barbara Chepaitis, who wrote the book "Feathers of Hope" about the sanctuary, was Mitch's driver and traveling companion.
Steppe Eagles come from the flat, treeless expanses found from Romania east through southern Russia and central Asia to Mongolia.
They tend to favor deserts, steppes and savannah grasslands. While it was difficult to tell Mitch's dimensions, as he had to remain in his cage, Steppe Eagles are usually 24 to 32 inches long and have wing spans of 65 to 79 inches.
Mitch was taken in and cared for by Army Rangers and Navy SEALS at an undisclosed location in Afghanistan, with the help of a veterinarian on post.
Chepaitis said that after the Army and Navy crews learned Mitch would never fly again — part of his wing had to be amputated — they began searching to find a home for him.
"They found us on the Internet," said Chepaitis.
As he sprinkled Mitch with holy water, Mackin asked God, "maker of all living creatures "» (to) enable Mitch to live according to your plan."
It was the same blessing he and other priests use each year when blessing animals on the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi.
Getting Mitch from there to here involved cutting through a lot of red tape, including help from Sen. Chuck Schumer's office and the White House's Office of Public Engagement.
Chepaitis said she's accumulated more than 500 pages of e-mails during the process.
Among the many hurdles that had to be overcome was getting a waiver on a ban on importing birds due to concerns about avian flu.
Mitch spent time in quarantine both in Afghanistan and at the local import center. All the help worked.
"The whole thing makes me very hopeful," Chepaitis said.
mrandall@th-record.com
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