Eagle Tries to Snatch Infant

12/19/2012

Have you seen The Hobbit yet?  It won't give away too much to say that a critical scene involving eagles from the fantasy film almost became a reality in Montreal, at least according to this video that was just posted to YouTube.  

Check out the video and then see below for my thoughts on whether or not this is real. 

Thankfully, this video is a fake.  

That said, it's not outside the realm of an eagle's physical ability.  Eagles are large predators that are known to kill and carry off young deer (not always successfully), to pull mountain goat off cliffs to their deaths, and are even used to hunt and kill wolves in Mongolia.

A small human child would be no big deal for a hungry eagle.  While it's not something that actually happens today, there's strong evidence that suggests eagles preyed upon infants of early human species.

The hoaxer of this video was probably trying to capitalize on the popularity of The Hobbit movie, and even had the child wearing an animal-head hat as if to suggest the eagle mistook it for normal prey.

Very clever, but kind of sick.

Many eagle species are on the decline, and need our help, not bad publicity.

See more eagle videos from Animal Planet.

See my TV appearances and learn how to protect wildlife with National Wildlife Federation. 

Story via the blog Jeromie Williams Eats the Internet for Breakfast.
Photo by jack_spellingbacon via Flickr Creative Commons.

Comments

[Jerry]

The author states "it's not something that actually happens today." That is incorrect. I have personal experience with this happening.

When I was four years old I was traveling with my family through British Columbia on the Alcan highway. My little brother was about 18 months old. We had stopped at the side of the to eat lunch and had been put in the back of the pickup truck while my mom made sandwiches. An eagle landed near the truck and then hopped over the side of the pickup and grabbed my little brother by the head with it's talons. He attempted to fly off but my dad was able to strike and kill the bird with a tire tool. My brother had only minor puncture marks to his head, one very close to his eye. I clearly remember the eagle hopping over to the truck and my mom crying, covered in my brother's blood. My parents took the eagle carcass to the nearest mountie station to report the incident. I believe that my brother still has a wing feather from the bird.