Challenger

It really is awe inspiring. Should any of you> happen to go to the Great Smoky Mountians, you will pass through the town of Pigeon> Forge ( if you go down route 81) Tennessee. In that town is a place called Dollywood owned and operated by, surprise surprise, Dolly Parton. There she has a huge enclosed area for non realeasable eagles. You can view them and their huge nests. She is prominent among rescuers of Bald eagles and she has a license to do so. The rest of the park is nice too. This is an awesome music video...featuring a special free-flying Bald Eagle named 'Challenger' (in honor of the lost space shuttle crew. K15 was named after one of their crew) cared for by the non-profit American Eagle Foundation (AEF). He's a 'human socialized' bird accidentally raised by the people who rescued him - after being blown from a wild Louisiana nest in a storm as a baby in the late 1980s. Declared 'non-releasable' by federal and state wildlife authorities, he was trained by the AEF to perform educational free-flight demonstrations at high profile public events. He's the first Bald Eagle in U.S. history that learned to free-fly into stadiums, arenas and ballrooms during the singing of the Star Spangled Banner.The celebrity eagle has appeared at numerous major sporting events...like the World Series, Pro-Bowl, All-Star game, BCS National Championship, Fiesta Bowl and Men's Final Four, etc. Challenger has also flown before 4 U.S. Presidents! His life story is told in a children's storybook titled 'Challenger, America's> Favorite Eagle.'