Caesar, 1 of 3 Bald Eagles to Disappear During Storm at Dolly Parton’s Dollywood, Returns Home

Desiree AnelloTue, May 5, 2026 at 5:34 PM UTC

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Bald eagle (stock)Credit: Johnny Johnson/Getty -

Three bald eagles escaped Dollywood's Eagle Mountain Sanctuary after a storm damaged their aviary

Weeks later, one of the eagles, Caesar, was returned safely to the American Eagle Foundation

“Thank you all for showing up for him! We could not continue without your support,” the foundation wrote on social media

Caesar, one of the three bald eagles that recently went missing from Dolly Parton's Dollywood, has safely returned home.

On Saturday, May 2, the American Eagle Foundation shared that the raptor was recovered that evening because of the community's “calls, messages, and watchful eyes.”

“This is what a community of friends looks like,” the nonprofit, which cares for over 70 non-releasable raptors and other birds daily, wrote on Facebook. “Thank you all for showing up for him! We could not continue without your support!”

Dollywood announced that Caesar and two other eagles went missing from the Tennessee theme park's Eagle Mountain Sanctuary on April 19 after a tree near the sanctuary was uprooted, causing the aviary to be compromised.

“Staff from the American Eagle Foundation will remove the eagles from the aviary and will house them at their facilities until the netting can be repaired,” the foundation shared at the time. “The area of the park near the aviary will be closed.”

The aviary, which is 30,000 square feet, "houses the country's largest presentation of non-releasable bald eagles," according to the amusement park's website.

Since each of the three eagles — Wesley, Caesar and Rockland — sustained some kind of injury or illness that prevents them from surviving on their own in the wild, the foundation's CEO, Lori Moore, encouraged local residents to come forward with any “tips and leads.”

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"We have teams on the ground actively tracking them, but we also still need your help as they are still flighted birds," she said. “Keep your eyes on the skies.”

Dollywood's Eagle Mountain SanctuaryCredit: Google Maps

In recent days, Rockland and Wesley have been spotted in the Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg areas.

Wesley is a female bald eagle with a black leg band, recognized by a chronic shoulder injury that may affect how her wings sit at rest or in flight, the American Eagle Foundation wrote on social media.

Meanwhile, the foundation describes Rockland as a male bald eagle with a healed fracture in his right carpal joint and a right ulna that is shorter than his left, causing the wing to be displaced.

"Because of these injuries, Rockland is not fully flighted and cannot travel long distances like an uninjured bald eagle," the American Eagle Foundation wrote. "He also wears an orange identification band on his left leg with the letters SK on it."

Moore says that "the best opportunity is if they have landed on the ground" and that tips from locals "are super helpful in us getting to the bird immediately and having a chance of securing them.”

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Source: “AOL Entertainment”