PHOENIX — The Arizona Game and Fish Department (AZGFD) reminds anglers of the importance of proper fishing line (monofilament) disposal after AZGFD biologists remove a tangled fledgling from the wild and take it to wildlife rehabilitators. 

Nest watchers at Willow Springs Lake noticed the eaglet with fishing line wrapped around one of its legs. AZGFD biologists tried multiple times, but were unable to safely access the nest. 

“So we had to wait until it fledged,” said Kenneth “Tuk” Jacobson, AZGFD raptor management coordinator. “Once it took its first flight, we were able to capture it and found that the fishing line had caused a severe wound to the eagle’s leg.”