Cincinnati Zoo’s Sam the Bald Eagle Soars over Stadiums this Summer Starting this Saturday!
See eagle flights at select FC Cincinnati and Cincinnati Reds games
CINCINNATI (May 23, 2019) – “Sam,” the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden’s 20-year-old rescued bald eagle is preparing for his first stadium flyover of the summer. He’ll take flight during the National Anthem this Saturday before FC Cincinnati’s 7:30 pm match at Nippert Stadium. The following weekend, on May 31, he’ll soar about 340 feet from the outfield to the pitcher’s mound at Great American Ball Park before the Cincinnati Reds take on the Nationals.
“Witnessing Sam’s magnificent flight while the National Anthem is playing gives me goosebumps every time,” said Cincinnati Zoo Director Thane Maynard. “He’s been flying before select Reds games since 2003 and added a few FC appearances last year. Cincinnati is one of the only places in the world where sports fans can see anything like this.”
Video of Sam’s flight | Photos of Sam at GABP
Sam’s summer flight schedule:
Saturday, May 25, FC vs. New York**
Friday, May 31st, Reds vs. Nationals
Friday, June 14th, Reds vs. Rangers
Tuesday, June 18th, Reds vs. Astros (Zoo Night at the Reds)*
Saturday, June 22nd, FC vs. LA (Zoo Night at FC Cincinnati)**
Friday, June 28th, Reds vs. Cubs
Wednesday, July 3rd, Reds vs. Brewers
Saturday, July 6th, FC vs. Houston**
The Zoo is also celebrating FC and the Reds with special themed days this summer. Wear red for Reds Day at the Zoo on June 17 and blue and orange for FC Day at the Zoo on August 11. Visit cincinnatizoo.org for more details on these events.
**The first 5,000 fans at each of the three FC matches will receive a Sam the bald eagle trading card.
Sam’s Story:
Since Sam made his Major League debut in 2003, he has flown to the pitcher’s mound more than 50 times! This is a spectacular achievement for a bird that was found injured by the side of the road in 1999 when he was just months old. He was rehabbed at Michigan State University, but his wing damage could not be repaired, and he could not be re-released into the wild.
“We brought him to Cincinnati in the spring of 2003 and started working with him. He had never been on a glove and we had no idea what his flight ability would be,” said Eddie Annal, head bird trainer at the Cincinnati Zoo and Sam’s target on the mound. “The first time he came out of his carrier at the ballpark, he sat on his perch for about 5 minutes probably figuring out how he would get down to me. Eventually, he glided down to me in center field like a big paper airplane. He had figured out how to soar down despite his injury.”
Sam’s success story parallels the success of the bald eagle in the United States. In the early 1960s, bald eagles were vanishing from the lower 48 states and on the brink of extinction. They were removed from the Endangered Species List in 2007 and, a decade after that, there were about 10,000 nests in the lower 48 states, including 221 in Ohio and 164 in Kentucky.