Video: Police Break up an Eagle Fight
OutdoorHub Reporters 03.23.16
Eagles may be one of the largest and most dangerous birds in the sky, but when they fight, they like bringing it to ground. Well, perhaps “like” isn’t quite the right word. Eagles do battle with razor sharp talons, which they have four of on each foot. The muscles behind these talons are also amazingly strong and will contract to clamp down on prey. Unfortunately for the eagles, sometimes their instinct gets better of them and they will literally lock down on an opponent and not let go. This isn’t because they can’t let go—wildlife experts have debunked the myth that eagles can’t voluntarily open their talons. It’s just that they won’t let go before their opponent does.
After all, eventually there’ll be a winner right?
The Augusta Police Department in Maine had other ideas.
“This afternoon two bald eagles were locked in mortal combat over a territorial dispute. The Eagles were literally locked together by the talons and our very own ACO Roodman and Warden Ross responded for a report of the bald eagle street fight,” the department posted on Facebook. “Sure enough the two of Americas’ Finest were found, locked and unable to separate. The wild animal specialists used blankets to separate Americas’ Symbols of Freedom who were later seen flying over the August Arsenal. It’s a proud day in Augusta for these two majestic winged warriors!”
It can take up to two people to open a single eagle’s clasped talons, so when it comes to dealing with two aggressive birds with essentially four knives on each foot, that can be a bit tricky. Luckily for these officers, they knew what they were doing.
