Bald Eagle Breeding Program

The Museum pioneered research and conservation efforts that helped to deliver our national bird from the brink of extinction.

Before the behavior of the bald eagle was well understood, its unearned reputation for carrying off children made it a target for hunters. In 1921, one of the Museum’s founders, Dr. Francis Hobart Herrick, enlisted the help of naturalist Charles M. Shipman in undertaking an innovative study of the bald eagle’s nest life. More than five years of meticulous observation debunked the myth that bald eagles posed a threat to humans.

Despite the enactment of the Bald Eagle Protection Act in 1940, habitat destruction and pesticide use had reduced Ohio’s bald eagle population to just four active nesting pairs by the late 1970s. Curator of Live Animals Harvey Webster and Wildlife Specialist Carl Lutzmann spurred nationwide action by spearheading a breeding program at the Museum—the first institution to successfully breed bald eagles in captivity via artificial insemination.

“There’s a history of the Museum having a can-do attitude and doing remarkable things with what’s at our disposal, and the eagle’s story falls into that category.” —Museum Ambassador Emeritus, Harvey Webster