Cincinnati Zoo’s iconic eagle retires

Sam the Bald Eagle has given hundreds of thousands of people goose bumps soaring over crowds at Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden’s Wings of Wonder and at Great American Ballpark over the years. Sadly, after a recent diagnosis of cataracts, he recently retired, making a final appearance at a recent Reds game, and walked out by his longtime trainer, Eddie Annal, during the singing of the national anthem. 

“Vision is so important to eagles,” said Annal. “Sam has flown down from the outfield to  the mound at GABP hundreds of times in the past two decades. 

Thanks to all that repetition and training, he knows the general direction to go, but still needs to be able to see where to land.  After having trouble finding me during practice  flights, I suspected something wasn’t right, so we asked the vets to take a look at him.”  

Zoo veterinarian Dr. Mike Wenninger examined Sam and found partial bilateral cataracts and recommended that he retire from flying. He said that “Sam should be able to function relatively normally, but is unlikely to fly confidently. Cataracts generally progress slowly over time. I suspect his recent changes indicate that they have progressed to a point that he is experiencing trouble with depth perception and visual acuity. I suspect things look very cloudy through his lenses.” 

Sam’s retirement marks the end of an era for the Cincinnati Zoo and the Reds, where his pregame flights have been a long-standing tradition. He was the first and only bald eagle to be made into a bobblehead! 

“The Reds organization has been honored to have Sam the Bald Eagle as a part of our game day tradition since 2004. His magnificent flights during the national anthem have embodied the spirit of our players and fans. We extend our heartfelt wishes to Sam for a peaceful and well-deserved retirement,” said Reds’ officials.