September 12, 2024, 10:05 am | Read time: 4 minutes

It’s an absolute horror show: an eagle swoops down from the sky out of nowhere and tries to claw a small child playing peacefully in the meadow. This is exactly what happened in Norway a few days ago. But what is it all about? PETBOOK spoke to a bird expert about this unusual incident.

Mother had to fight to get her child away from the animal

At the time of the incident, the girl was playing on the family farm when the golden eagle suddenly attacked her. The mother, thinking quickly, grappled with the bird and “fought fiercely to make it release its grip.” A neighbor also rushed to help and tried to keep the eagle away from the child.¹

Following the incident, authorities shot the predatory bird. Hunting warden Per Kare Vinterdal justified the action, stating that the golden eagle had targeted the child “as if it were prey.” The mother and the neighbor had to keep the bird of prey at a distance with sticks, as the eagle “kept coming back.”

Golden eagle is said to have attacked at least four people

According to media reports, this was not the only attack by the giant bird on humans. The bird is said to have injured at least three other people within a few days in a large area in central and southern Norway.² Nevertheless, this is extremely unusual behavior, explains bird expert Martin Rümmler from Naturschutzbund Deutschland e.V. (NABU) in an interview with PETBOOK: “This behavior does not reflect the typical behavior of the species or its relatives.”

Nevertheless, such individual cases underline what appears to be a deep-seated fear of large birds among many people. “In the past, birds of prey were also persecuted because they were thought to steal children or lambs. Of course, this is not the case,” explains Rümmler. “While a golden eagle potentially has the strength to carry off a small child, they typically steer clear of humans.” The expert emphasizes that this behavior is, therefore, unusual and not typical for the species.

Some animals are braver or more aggressive than others

“It’s similar with buzzards and crows,” says Rümmler. “There are reports of them attacking humans to defend their nest or territory. But these are also individual behaviors, not the rule.” Some animals are braver or more aggressive than others, and these differences are also important in evolution.

“Brave animals are often more likely to have an accident, but they can also be more successful hunters. In this case, however, the eagle was shot down because its behavior did not benefit it.” We can deduce that although such occurrences are exceedingly rare, they are not beyond the realm of possibility.

A video that reportedly originated in Montreal, Canada, has been making rounds on the internet. It shows how a golden eagle grabs a small child but drops it again due to its heavy weight. However, there are also some critical voices in the comments that doubt the authenticity of the video.³

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“I can’t rule out that this has already happened

Bird expert Martin Rümmler has never encountered a comparable case in his professional career, as he explains to PETBOOK. “I’ve never come across this with golden eagles. But I can’t rule out the possibility that it has happened before. Golden eagles have a wide range, especially in Asia. There are many subspecies, and they are even used for hunting in Central Asia. But this particular case is definitely unusual.”

Even if it cannot be ruled out that such a situation could happen again, the expert warns against panicking. “This is an individual behavior, and the species is not generally aggressive towards humans. It is important not to incite undue fear, as such sentiments have historically contributed to the persecution and near extinction of various species,” Rümmler concludes.