The World Bird Sanctuary announced the passing of Murphy, a 33-year-old bald eagle, who achieved viral stardom for his work as a foster dad, first incubating a rock, and then an eaglet.
The World Bird Sanctuary said they discovered Murphy on March 15, the day after widespread storms and tornadoes tore across Missouri. They said he endured some form of trauma to his head.
The 33-year-old bald eagle leaves behind three aviary mates, who are all in good health.
The World Bird Sanctuary, located in Valley Park, said that all of its birds in its outdoor aviaries have access to shelters, shielding them from storms and other weather events.
“We do have contingency plans for different types of environmental situations, but this particular storm did not require any bird evacuations as no tornadoes approached WBS,” the World Bird Sanctuary stated. “While we do everything that we can to keep our birds safe, accidents outside of our control can happen.”
