A bald eagle named Murphy who recently captured global attention for steadfastly incubating a rock now has an orphaned eaglet to care for. "Although it might make you feel sad that Murphy has built a nest and is nurturing a rock as an egg, it’s just his hormonal response to spring," the World Bird Sanctuary in Valley Park, Mo., recently posted on Facebook. "Murphy does not need a real egg to feel accomplished. He’s quite content with his rock, and VERY protective of it.” The 31-year-old eagle was so protective that caretakers thought he might make a good foster dad to an orphaned eaglet. Videos shared by the sanctuary show the rescued eaglet, dubbed nestling 23-126, being fed by a feathered hand puppet earlier this month. “Since release is our goal for every patient, avoiding imprinting is critical,” the sanctuary said. In addition to the puppet used for feeding, no talking is allowed and all human noises are shut out. Murphy was then introduced to the eaglet, and they spent time during the day bonding, while the eaglet was brought indoors at night. A week later, Murphy was “modeling eagle behavior perfectly, and becoming a wonderful, gentle papa,” the sanctuary said. Another clip shows the pair “bonding beautifully.” “You can see Murphy waiting for the baby to eat. When the baby doesn’t eat right away, he takes a bit of food, and then the baby begins to eat. This is the kind of bonding we’re looking for,” the sanctuary said. Murphy has a permanent wing injury that means he will remain at the sanctuary, but eaglet 23-126 may one day be released. “We will NOT be officially naming the eaglet due to our regular rules. Rehab superstition is strong,” the sanctuary said.
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