Osceola has been the "poster child" for injured raptors since 1984 when he began traveling, increasing awareness and educating the public. His image is used on the seal for the American Eagle Foundation's "Save America's Eagles" T-shirt. In 1984 he was made an honorary citizen of Nashville by Mayor Richard Fulton. He is now the star of "Wings of America" at Dollywood, ending the show as an American Flag waves behing him.
Recently, Osceola has had a remarkable thing happen to him. With only his one wing, Osceola got to fly again!! Not on his own, of course, but with the help of trainer John Stokes and the staff of the American Eagle Foundation. John is a hang glider pilot. With permission from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, he designed a special harness to hold Osceola and attached Osceola to the glider next to him. Osceola appeared to enjoy his flights as he intensely watched things on the ground. John couldn't see everything Osceola was able to watch due to the fact that Osceola has tremendous vision. He can see the movement of a fish from a mile in the air! Osceola has now "flown" several times and hopefully will be able to again sometime in the future. If not, at least he got to feel the wind blowing on his face and see other birds under him instead of over him one more time!
Osceola, the Hang Gliding Eagle
