WholeHogSports · Jul 6, 2017
Auburn switches to bald eagle for pregame flight
Auburn's eagle named Nova flies down onto the football field before an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Nov. 28, 2015, in Auburn, Ala. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)AUBURN, Ala. (AP) — Auburn's well-known "War Eagle VII" will not fly during pregame events during the school's football season.
Nova will not fly after Auburn University College of Veterinary Medicine faculty diagnosed the 18-year-old golden eagle with cardiomyopathy, a chronic disease of the heart, The Opelika-Auburn News reported.
Southeastern Raptor Center Director Dr. Jamie Bellah said a bald eagle named Spirit will assume pregame flight duties.
A following routine checkup found that Nova had an abnormal heart rhythm.