An aggressive young golden eagle savagely attacked a 20-month-old girl and three others in Norway over a five-day period, forcing the terrified victims to kill the bird.
A toddler was playing outside her family's farm in the small village of Orkland in southern Scandinavia on Saturday when an eagle swooped down and sliced the girl's body with its talons.
The girl's father, who was not at home at the time of the attack, told Norwegian broadcaster NRK that the girl's mother and neighbours rushed to the scene and scared the bird away.
Alv Ottar Folkestad, an eagle expert with BirdLife Norway, told The Associated Press that the bird had attacked people three times before being killed by its startled mother and a neighbour with a piece of wood.
“This golden eagle likely had a behavioral disorder,” Folkestad said.
The golden eagle is Norway's second largest bird of prey, with a wingspan of up to 6.5 feet. The bird typically preys on foxes and sheep, as well as other small animals.
The girl required stitches and suffered scratches on her face, including one just below her eye, local reports said.
Despite their injuries and fear, the girl and her mother, whose identity has not been released, are doing well, according to the girl's father.
Police had been informed of the attack but said only that the gamekeeper had been contacted and they had no further details.
The golden eagle is believed to be the same species of bird of prey that has attacked three other birds in the area.
Francis Ali Stuhl was hiking in the mountains on Thursday when he thought a human was trying to push him off a cliff, but then he saw a large eagle.
“We just looked at each other for probably a full minute,” Stuhr told The Associated Press. “I was trying to figure out what was going through that kid's mind.”
The bird then attacked the 31-year-old man five more times, chasing him down the mountain for more than 10 minutes while scratching and clawing his face and arms.
One of the other two victims, Marianne Mirvan, filmed the bird's attack and told NRK she screamed when “something big and heavy fell on my shoulder”.
“I couldn't stand up because of the weight of it so I fell to my knees,” she said.
Her husband managed to scare the eagle away with a branch, but Mirvan suffered deep cuts from the eagle's talons and had to be treated at hospital with penicillin and tetanus shots.
The shock attack is “radically different from a normal attack.” [eagle behavior]”All of these attacks appear to have been carried out by female eagles born this year,” Folkestad added.
“The details in the feathers lead us to believe it's the same bird. When you look at the feathers you can see that no two golden eagles are the same,” he said.
“Favourable weather conditions” with high-altitude winds have continued over the past few days, allowing the eagle to fly long distances over southern Norway.
Sture said he tried to protect himself with his backpack and kicked the eagle, but it kept returning as he fled down the mountain.
He feared he would slip and pass out on the steep terrain and the eagle would “start eating me.”
The eagle eventually flew away, but Stuah, bleeding from his injuries and without a mobile phone, managed to walk two hours back to the campsite and call his father.
He took a taxi to the nearest hospital where he was treated for a wound next to his left eye, and doctors said he was wearing sunglasses and a long-sleeved shirt which prevented further damage.
After getting a tetanus shot and his brother giving him a six-hour drive home, Stuhr said he plans to keep hiking but may avoid summiting for now.
With post wire
