A Feathery Feast Gone Wrong: Hungry Eagle Meets Its Match as Bear Defends Its Food with a Mighty Paw

This is the dramatic moment a bear took out an American bald eagle in one fell swoop after getting too close to her cub and its food.

The bird had approached the bear and her youngster as they had been eating a dead whale in Kodiak, Alaska.

Other eagles had been swooping down on the pair but managed to keep a respectable distance from the mammals.

The eagle swooped down on the bear and her cub as they were eating a dead whale in Kodiak, Alaska

One eagle got far to close to the bear’s cub and its food angering the large animal into action

The bear then attacks the eagle and ends up swatting it to the ground with its large paws

However, one bird got far too close for the adult bear’s liking and she swatted it down with her huge paw.

And even though the blow was not enough to kill the large bird, it was left stricken on the ground and unable to fly due to a broken back.

The confrontation was captured on camera by 63-year-old wildlife photographer Fred O’Hearn.

He explained: ‘The sow bear was so protective of her food, a dead whale, she wouldn’t leave especially as there was a stream only a few hundred yards up the hill where she could get water.

Once on the ground, the bear made sure the eagle was not going to threaten her cub any further

The cub even wandered over to make sure the eagle who was eyeing up his dinner was no longer a threat

‘She got a bit tired of the eagles and started chasing them away, even her cub got into the act.

‘Two of the eagles got tangled with one another just as the sow was in hot pursuit, which meant the end of the road for one eagle.

‘In the next few photos she is attacking the eagle and the cub gets quite interested in the affair.

‘Incredibly the eagle still managed to reach up and grab her in the face with a talon which actually quite discouraged the sow from attacking any more.

‘You can see the her drooling which is a sign of stress in a bear. The next few photos are her checking on the cub and then back to napping.’

And even though the eagle appeared to survive the attack, Mr O’Hearn believes it wouldn’t have lived for much longer.

The eagle was left on the floor with a broken back and unable to fly while the two bears enjoyed a nap

He added: ‘She never actually killed the eagle, I think the talon in the face ended the attack.

‘The eagle was broken up and other than flopping around occasionally, just lay there for many hours. I believe its back was broken.

‘I would have liked to put the eagle out of his suffering but there was no way I was going down there with a sow with her cub so heated up.’

Sia

Related Posts

A Baby Elephant Learns a Lesson Getting a Beat Down From an African Buffalo that It Challenged

Fearless elephant calf is picked up and headbutted by angry buffalo, in pictures An elephant calf tried to attack an old buffalo and was taught a lesson…

The powerful horns of the wild Ƅuffalo мake the crocodile pay the price when hunting 𝑏𝑎𝑏𝑦 Ƅuffalo

Buffaloes are lucratiʋe prey for any predator Ƅecause they proʋide a large aмount of food. Howeʋer, to defeat this large prey, not eʋery hunt is faʋoraƄle.  …

African Wild Dogs Are Among the Most Efficient Hunters on Earth

With their arresting size, cunning, and athleticism, Africa’s big cats—like lions, leopards, and cheetahs—get plenty of attention as avatars of carnivory. But the swiftest death on the…

Watch: Hyenas take to the water in Ьгᴜtаl Ьаttle for territory

Hyenas are icons of resilience. These shaggy coated survivors have built a reputation for tolerating injuries and persisting in an often-ruthless landscape. But when two dogged diehards…

Cottonmouth vs. Rattlesnake: Deadly Venomous Snakes Battle

When these two venomous snakes cross paths, only one survives. In this video, a rattlesnake wanders directly into the path of a hungry cottonmouth and the encounter…

Watch: Baby bison’s narrow escape from a pack of wolves on the hunt

One little bison calf in Yellowstone National Park got another shot at becoming a snorting, swaggering full-grown buffalo a few days back, after a run-in with some…

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *