Photo: 100 Mile House RCMP

A good Samaritan thought the eagle was dead when he put it in his van, but he got a surprise when it started flapping around.

The man was along on Highway 97 near 100 Mile House when he spotted an eagle motionless on the road. It looked like it had been hit by a vehicle, according to a release from RCMP.

The man decided to do a good deed, picked up the animal and started to head to the Conservation Service office. As he got into 100 Mile House, there was some noise behind him.

"The thought-to-be-deceased eagle suddenly woke up from its (likely) concussion induced sleep and scared the life out of the complainant as he was driving along the highway," writes Staff Sgt. Svend Nielsen in the release. "The complainant drove straight into the detachment parking lot and met with an officer coming on duty."

The officer took some photos of the situation and called a Conservation Service Officer.

"Local Conservation Officer Joel Kline attended to retrieve the magnificent bird and safely place it into a kennel," writes Nielsen. "If you look closely at the photo of the red kennel, you can see the bird is very much alive and likely very upset."

The latest from Kline is that the eagle is doing well, according to the release.

The RCMP are reminding people to be cautious when approaching animals that may look dead.

"You might end up with an upset eagle flapping around in the backseat of your minivan," writes Nilesen. "Contact the CO hotline at 1-877-855-3222 or contact your local RCMP Detachment prior to approaching the animal."

Photo: 100 Mile House RCMP

Photo: 100 Mile House RCMP