And now:Ish <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes: Subject: "Living symbol of democracy" bites Clinton Date: Wed, 7 Jul 1999 10:06:36 -0400 From: "chris" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> BALD EAGLE PECKS CLINTON AT CEREMONY National Post July 3, 1999. Page A13 By Ben Fenton WASHINGTON - Bill Clinton, the U.S. president, was in the middle of declaring the bald eagle had been removed from the list of endangered animals yesterday when a member of the newly liberated species tried to take a bite out of him. Mr. Clinton's staff had arranged for the eagle, Challenger, to be present at the ceremony on the White House lawn. Mr. Clinton described the eagle as the "living symbol of our democracy" then moved over to talk to the bird's handler, Al Cesari. The president looked distinctly uneasy as he stood just out of pecking distance of the bird, whose image appears on the Great Seal of the United States, on the dollar bill, and a host of other national symbols. As he turned to congratulate volunteers from an eagle-salvation program, the 10-year-old bird bent forward and pecked him hard on the left hand. Mr. Clinton withdrew his hand quickly, shook it and inspected the damage, as an embarrassed Mr. Cesari moved in. A spokesman for the White House said later the president had been bitten, but no blood was drawn. The eagle's recovery was credited to the success of the Endangered Species Act, which funded projects to reintroduce eaglets into natural habitats. In 1782, the year the bald eagle was adopted as the country's emblem, there were as many as half a million in the U.S. But by 1963, hunting, loss of prey, and the use of pesticides reduced their numbers until only 417 breeding pairs remained. The eagles were put on the endangered species list in 1967 and were upgraded from endangered to threatened four years ago. The Daily Telegraph, with files from Agence France-Presse Reprinted under the fair use http://www4.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.html doctrine of international copyright law. &&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&& Tsonkwadiyonrat (We are ONE Spirit) Unenh onhwa' Awayaton http://www.tdi.net/ishgooda/ &&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
