MEAWW.COM / NEWS / HUMAN INTEREST

'Too much for the heart to handle': Murphy the broody eagle finally becomes a dad after attempting to hatch a rock

The rollercoaster life of Murphy started back in the 1990s when he was moved to the World Bird Sanctuary as an injured chick with broken leg

VALLEY PARK, MISSOURI: A 31-year-old broody eagle named Murphy, who can’t fly or mate, has become an avian internet superstar because of his paternal instincts which led him to hatch a rock and step up to become a dad for an orphaned chick. The rollercoaster life of Murphy started back in the 1990s when he was moved to the World Bird Sanctuary in Valley Park, Missouri as an injured chick with a broken leg.

Murphy's wounded leg was soon recovered, but as he was learning to fly, he fractured a wing, permanently injuring it, which made it impossible for him to ever be released into the wild. While Murphy lost his flying ability at a young age, he also didn’t have much luck in love. During his prime, the eagle was housed with two females, but despite creating a nest, he was unable to mate with either. However, his urge to brood was so strong that he began to attempt to incubate a small rock by treating it like an unhatched egg. He and his "rock baby" inevitably garnered media attention and he soon became an internet sensation.

READ MORE

3 bald eagles die, 10 others fall sick after scavenging on euthanized animals dumped in landfill

'Wake up Feds!' Outrage as two illegal Honduran migrants shoot down bald eagle with intention of eating it

While hatching his ‘rock baby’, Murphy, who is typically calm, became so violently possessive of his egg that early this month he was transferred to his own enclosure, and the staff was forced to put up a sign to reassure visitors. However, his tragedy recently turned into joy after he adopted an orphaned chick known as Eaglet 23-126, who was in desperate need of a father figure. Murphy and Eaglet 23-126’s pair has undoubtedly melted many hearts as one of their admirers enthused that "he's not the stepdad, he's the dad that stepped up."

How Murphy became so affectionate towards the orphaned chick

Murphy has astounded the ornithologists and employees at the sanctuary by adopting the mother eagle role for a chick that isn't even his. Dawn Griffard, chief executive of the Sanctuary, claimed that the adorable eagle genuinely feels that the rock, he so diligently kept warm, has now hatched into the chick that he is raising, according to Daily Mail. Eaglet 23-126, whose gender is so far indiscernible, was only a week or two old when the sanctuary took him into care after strong winds destroyed his nest. Four weeks ago, when it joined Murphy in his enclosure, keepers first put it in a cage to be sure that he wouldn't see it as a danger and attack.

Under Murphy’s care, the chick is now more of a galumphing teenager than a pretty tiny newborn. The senior eagle has now become so caring towards his little baby that he feeds his own food to him. Murphy has now also taken charge to protect the baby. On one rare occasion, the staffer observed Murphy’s protective behavior when he quickly moved to put himself between the keepers and the baby bird. The sanctuary is currently preparing the eaglet for the wild as they have installed white curtains around the pairs' enclosure so that the chick can 'imprint' on his father rather than humans, who feed him. The odd pair are not on exhibit for the public, but the sanctuary regularly updates supporters with photographs and videos on its Facebook page.

'Too much for the heart to handle'

The pair is not free into the wild, but Murphy occasionally displays his wild instincts. Sometimes, he abruptly looks up and makes a chuckle sound, which sanctuary hospital director Kira Klebe, says indicates that he's spotted another bird overhead and is warning it off. Murphy is completely devoted to his young baby but Kira concedes that Murphy is 'probably not quite as attentive to the baby as a female would be'. Last week, when a tornado came rather near to the sanctuary, Murphy let the chick follow him to an open area of the cage. It was discovered the following day, drenched in water, and had to be treated for hypothermia.

But overall, the sanctuary says Murphy's compassion has been a huge and heartwarming surprise. The relationship between the two birds is "too much for the heart to handle," according to the sanctuary. However, the pair’s bond is not going to last long as the eaglet will soon be released from the sanctuary. Kira claims that this will happen when the chick begins to fly in about five to seven weeks. The Sanctuary expect that once the chick will start flying, Murphy will become tired of it as eagle parents start ignoring their baby when they feel it's time they left the nest. Kira also says that the reaction to the Murphy and 23-126 tale in the United States has been "phenomenal."