GATLINBURG — A non-releasable bald eagle from the American Eagle Foundation was spotted in a Gatlinburg, Tennessee, neighborhood over the weekend, prompting renewed recovery efforts by wildlife crews. The bird, named Rockland, is one of three eagles that escaped after an April storm damaged the Eagle Mountain Sanctuary enclosure at Dollywood.

"On April 19th, there was a storm that blew through Dollywood, and one of the trees fell over and caused the netting to rip." said Katelyn Jennings, chief operating officer of the American Eagle Foundation. One of the escaped birds, Caesar, was quickly recovered near the park, while Rockland has been repeatedly spotted in the Gatlinburg area.

The eagles cannot be released into the wild because of prior injuries. "All of them are what we call non-releasable, which means that they have some sort of injury keeping them in human care." Jennings said.

Gatlinburg resident Shaina Smith first noticed the eagle on Saturday morning after hearing a neighbor outside. "We walked out on our balcony, and there's the eagle just on top of my neighbor's car." she said. The bird remained in the area for about an hour and a half while neighbors took photos and attempted to contact wildlife officials.

"We started scrambling around trying to find the numbers to call because we realized we saw the band, we realized it was one of the ones from Dollywood." Smith said. Residents also worked to keep other animals away from the eagle. "We even had a bear come up, and we were trying to scare the bear away to keep the eagle here so they could come get it." she said.

Smith said the eagle flew off when crews arrived after recognizing its handler. "As soon as the handler walked up, he saw him and just took off," she said. Officials say they are continuing to track the remaining eagles and are relying on tips from the public.

There have been reported sightings of another escaped eagle, Wesley, in the Upper Middle Creek area, though Wesley has not been positively identified because her leg band is harder to see.

Jennings said the foundation is asking the public not to feed the birds. "We request that you not feed them. By feeding them, you're giving them sustained energy in order to keep going, and that allows them to go even further," she said. The foundation is also asking people to report sightings and keep a safe distance. Those with information are asked to contact the foundation on Facebook or by calling (865) 429-0157.