CINCINNATI — Crowds have experienced goosebumps seeing Sam the bald eagle soar over the at Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden’s Wings of Wonder and at Great American Ballpark over the years.

However, Sam's final appearance before retirement will be at the Reds game Tuesday night.

“The Reds organization has been honored to have Sam the Bald Eagle as a part of our game day tradition since 2004," the Reds said in a statement. "His magnificent flights during the national anthem have embodied the spirit of our players and fans. We extend our heartfelt wishes to Sam for a peaceful and well-deserved retirement.”

Sam will be walked out by his long-time trainer, Eddie Annal. Sam's retirement was brought on after he was diagnosed with cataracts.

“Vision is so important to eagles,” said Annal.  “Sam has flown down from the outfield to the mound at GABP hundreds of times in the past two decades.  Thanks to all that repetition and training, he knows the general direction to go but still needs to be able to see where to land.  After having trouble finding me during practice flights yesterday morning, I suspected something wasn't right, so we asked the vets to take a look at him.” 

Dr. Mike Wenninger, zoo veterinarian, found bilateral cataracts and recommended that he retire from flying.

“Sam should be able to function relatively normally but is unlikely to fly confidently," Wenninger said in a news release. "Cataracts generally progress slowly over time. I suspect his recent changes indicate that they have progressed to a point that he is experiencing trouble with depth perception and visual acuity. I suspect things look very cloudy through his lenses."

In 1999, Sam was found injured on the side of the road at just a few months old. He was rehabbed at Michigan State University, but because of his permanent wing damage he could not be re-released into the wild. 

 “We brought him to Cincinnati in the spring of 2003 and started working with him.  He had never been on a glove and we had no idea what his flight ability would be,” said Annal. “The first time he came out of his carrier at the ballpark, he sat on his perch for about 5 minutes probably figuring out how he would get down to me.  Eventually, he glided down to me in center field like a big paper airplane.  He had figured out how to soar down despite his injury.”

Sam may still appear in Wings of Wonders at the zoo so long as he chooses to participate; not in flight but as an ambassador for his series.