Stolen Bald Eagle, Sammy, Honored In Painting By Heartbroken Teen

QUOGUE, NY — January marks six long months since hearts broke nationwide over a stolen bald eagle, Sammy, who has a partially amputated right wing.

Children, especially, have been left blindsided by Sammy's loss — and one 13-year-old girl has put poured her heartbreak into artwork that will be sold to raise funds for the Quogue Wildlife Refuge, where Sammy, a 35-year old bald eagle, was stolen from his enclosure one night in July 2019.

Sammy had lived at the Quogue Wildlife Refuge since 1988.

Genevieve Burrell has been volunteering at the Quogue Wildlife Refuge for almost a year now as part of her homeschool week, said her mother, Donna Burrell. "She was distraught when Sam was taken last July, as so many of us were," Burrell said.

Genevieve is also an artist who has studied long-term with Tonito Valderama, an environmental educator at QWR and an accomplished artist himself, Burrell said.

Genevieve recently finished a painting remembering Sammy the eagle and wrote an explanation of her drive to create the piece.

"Her heart and soul are in this painting and writing," Burrell said.

The pieces are being installed at Guild Hall as part of the 28th annual Student Art Festival. The hope is that not only will Sammy be remembered but also the painting and writing will keep the search for him alive, Burrell said.

The exhibit opens Saturday at Guild Hall in East Hampton and runs through Feb. 23. An opening reception will be held from 2 to 5 p.m. Jan. 25

Genevieve's painting and writing are imbued with heartache, capturing the sadness felt near and far after the beloved beautiful bald eagle was stolen.

"Sammy the bald eagle was a well-known, longtime resident of the Quogue Wildlife Refuge. Just like all of the other dedicated workers at the refuge, Sammy managed to capture my heart when I began volunteering there last March," Genevieve wrote. "I love my time there; it is truly a special place. The workers are amazing, sweet, and kind-hearted people with the best intentions for the health and well-being for all flora and fauna. The well-cared-for animals have quirky, colorful personalities and stories behind their residence. Sammy was no different. Even though he was brought there over 30 years ago because of a gunshot wound on his wing, he never stopped thriving. Sam always splashed around in his deep bath, and chirruped happily at the passersby. His calm golden eyes grabbed visitors, implying wisdom and seeming to tell stories and secrets. One morning in late July, the workers, volunteers, and community were shocked and upset to hear the terrible news about Sam — this beloved bird had been stolen overnight from his enclosure. There are still so many questions about what happened to him."

Genevieve said she was inspired to create the painting "to help myself cope when Sammy was taken. I’ve always had a deep connection to animals, and I express a lot of my difficult emotions through my art. I wanted to process my emotions through a painting, to preserve Sam’s beauty, and to show the impact he had on each of us," she said.

The style is more about symbolism than realism, she said.

"As weeks passed and my hope for Sammy’s return decreased, I decided to donate this work to the refuge, to be auctioned at their annual gala," she said. "My goal is for the money to collect with other donations for increased security and well-being of their animals, to help everyone rest a little easier. It’s hard not to lose my faith in humanity after what happened. However, it is my hope that any money raised from my painting helps the other animals at the Quogue Wildlife Refuge."

"I honor his presence on this earth, his breathtaking gaze and gentle soul. He will never be forgotten"

While Sammy was safe at the refuge, other native eagles of Long Island "were forced to the brink of extinction by human-caused habitat loss and eggshell-thinning damage from pesticides," Genevieve said, adding that the eggs are not able to support the weight of their incubating parents. "Thankfully, with human efforts focused in the right direction, they are making their triumphant comeback, soaring over the sparkling waters of the North and South Fork coasts they used to dominate. These eagles’ lives depend on our waterways and coastlines to hunt, mate, build nests and raise their young."

Bald eagles, Genevieve added, "are truly majestic and powerful birds; Sammy was absolutely no exception. I honor his presence on this earth, his breathtaking gaze and gentle soul. He will never be forgotten; his memory will be carried in all the heavy hearts of the people that gave him a home, and nurtured his fear away. So many people care about him. We all hope that one day, we will have the closure of knowing what became of Sam the eagle."

Despite six months of waiting, hoping and praying, Sammy's enclosure remains empty, where schoolchildren have tied notes and drawings. "Please come home," one note reads.

Marisa Nelson, assistant director of the Quogue Wildlife Refuge, said the wait has been long and painful — but so far, there has been only silence. "There's nothing to report at this time, sadly," she said.

The refuge has begun increasing its security procedures, adding some cameras, with work ongoing.

And, Nelson said, there is still a $17,500 reward for information leading to the arrest of whoever stole Sammy.

"Police are still investigating," Nelson said. "We're still sad — for everybody."

Refuge officials said that while the organization did not solicit donations for reward money, they set up an animal enclosure improvement fund to assist in the repair and update of its caging facilities and the installation of better security cameras. To donate, click here.

The stolen bald eagle sparked an outpouring of sadness. Children still come to the refuge with cards, letters and drawings for Sammy.

The messages reflect a community that has tried for months to grapple with his loss. "Dear Sammy, I hope you can be back soon," one child wrote. "We miss you. We will try to find you," wrote another. "Sammy, I wish you will come back. It bracks (sic) my heart that your (sic) missing. I will never like the person who stole you," another little girl said.

"He has to be so scared and confused," one woman wrote on social media.

After the bald eagle was stolen from the refuge, it was determined that the eagle's enclosure had been cut and the fencing pulled back to allow access.

The bald eagle has lived at the Quogue Wildlife Refuge since 1988, when it was sent to the facility by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service after being injured in the western United States, police said.
Its right wing was partially amputated as a result of these injuries, and he is unable to fly, police said.

Possession of a bald eagle, a federally protected species, is a federal offense punishable by fines and jail time, police said.

The reward for information leading to the arrest of whoever stole Sam now totals $17,500, including $10,000 from the Suffolk County SPCA, up to $2,500 from Crime Stoppers and $5,000 from Nassau County SPCA, Nelson said.

Anyone with information about the incident can contact Suffolk County Crime Stoppers to submit an anonymous tip by calling 800-220-TIPS, texting "SCPD" and a message to "CRIMES" (274637) or emailing www.tipsubmit.com. All calls, text messages and emails will be kept confidential. Or, people can call the Quogue Village Police Department at 631-653-4791 or Suffolk County SPCA at 631-382-7722.