SBA Sponsors Amelia Earhart the Bald Eagle

SBA Sponsors Amelia Earhart the Bald Eagle

Santa Barbara Airport (SBA) is proud to announce their new partnership with the Santa Barbara Zoo, serving as the Premier Foster Feeder of Amelia Earhart, an American bald eagle.

Amelia joined the Zoo in 2024 after a remarkable journey that began in Dyer County, Tennessee. She was discovered injured along the Mississippi River in November 2022 by a good Samaritan and was transported to the Memphis Zoo for medical care where she was diagnosed with a fractured left humerus. Although her wing healed, she was unable to fully extend it and was ultimately deemed non-releasable. Amelia was then transferred to the Santa Barbara Zoo, where she has served as an ambassador of her species for the last two years.

Amelia is named in honor of pioneering aviator Amelia Earhart, who made history in 1932 as the first woman to fly solo nonstop across the Atlantic Ocean. Earhart would set numerous other aeronautical records before her tragic disappearance while attempting to fly around the world in 1937. Fun fact: She even flew into the Santa Barbara Airport for a visit during her career!

As a result of this partnership, Santa Barbara Airport is supporting both Amelia's ongoing care and the Zoo's larger mission to conserve the natural world.