Meet the real live Eagles mascot during Super Bowl pep rally at Elmwood Park Zoo
PHILADELPHIA - The Elmwood Park Zoo is home to the Philadelphia Eagles' official live mascots, Noah and Reggie.
FOX 29 has the inside swoop on the eagles and the zoo's Super Bowl pep rally.
What we know:
On Wednesday, FOX 29 had a chance to meet Noah, who is a seasoned veteran at Lincoln Financial Field who has been attending home games since 2014.
The bald eagles represent the team and greet fans on the plaza by the Eagles pro shop.
"People see that missing eye and they want to know his story," said Elisa Tyler Ritchey, Assistant Director of Education at Elmwood Park Zoo. "If he was on top of a 10-story building, he would be able to see ant on the ground. So, their vision is spectacular. He’s very accustomed to the noise and the visuals and the guests, the band, the cheerleaders so he does a really good job while on the plaza with all of the guests around him."
Noah was born in 2001, and according to the zoo he injured his head, brain and left eye when he fell from his nest which was 80 feet above the ground. He started calling the zoo in Norristown home in 2008.
The bald eagle is a national symbol of the U.S. that almost went extinct, but is now thankfully off the endangered species list.
"The thing that’s most affecting bald eagle populations now is lead poisoning. Lead the size of a pea can be enough to harm, and or be fatal to a bird, even the size of an eagle. So, we try and promote alternatives to lead being used for hunting."
What's next:
The zoo said Football Hall of Famer and Eagles legend Brian Dawkins will be at the pep rally this Saturday along with swoop and the Eagles cheerleaders.
Admission to the event is included with regular paid Zoo admission.
Ticket information can be found here.
The Source: The information in this story is from Elmwood Park Zoo staff.