War Eagle VIII on injured reserve for 2026 season
Auburn University’s raptor ambassador Aurea, known as War Eagle VIII, will likely be sidelined from participation in pre-football game flights during the 2026 season while recovering from a foot injury.
The Auburn University Raptor Center (AURC) has been caring for an injury on the pad of Aurea’s foot, which is believed to have been sustained during day-to-day activities in her aviary. AURC Director Dr. Robyn Miller said the location of the wound, on the weight-bearing surface of Aurea’s foot, presents particular challenges in the healing process. Golden eagles rely on their feet for nearly every aspect of their lives, from perching and maintaining balance to grasping prey.
Pre-football game flights at Jordan-Hare Stadium will continue to be handled by bald eagle Independence during the 2026 season.
Aurea’s veterinary team is providing dedicated care throughout her recovery, with a focus on her comfort, healing and overall welfare.
“Aurea is getting her feet checked multiple times per week,” said Dr. Amberly Sokoloff, AURC veterinarian. “She receives a multimodal treatment approach for comfort and wound healing. She is an excellent patient and has been very cooperative for her treatments.”
While Aurea is unlikely to fly at Auburn football games for the remainder of the 2026 season, fans may still see her on the sidelines as her health permits.
“Aurea means so much to the Auburn Family, and we know how much our fans look forward to seeing her soar over Jordan-Hare Stadium,” Miller said. “But our responsibility to Aurea extends far beyond gameday. She has given so much to Auburn University and our cherished traditions. Now, she deserves the time, care and patience she needs to heal. We look forward to having her with us on the sidelines whenever she feels up to it.”
Aurea came to the AURC in 2016 after being found near Selma, Alabama, with an injury to her right wing. While the wing healed, the long-term effects left her unable to regain the stamina needed for sustained flight, and she was deemed non-releasable.
Since then, Aurea has become a powerful ambassador for both her species and the Auburn tradition. She completed her first stadium flight on Nov. 17, 2018, and made her most recent flight before the Argentina-Iceland pre-World Cup soccer friendly on June 9.
Officially named War Eagle VIII on Nov. 22, 2019, Aurea became the third golden eagle to hold the role. A unit of Auburn’s College of Veterinary Medicine, the AURC houses non-releasable “raptor ambassadors” that participate in educational programming. The center typically treats as many as 300 injured, ill or orphaned raptors each year with the goal of returning as many as possible to the wild.
Auburn University Raptor Center