Missing wildlife camera captures eagle selfie
The camera trap was meant to capture images of crocodiles in Australia, but a sea eagle mistook the device for something tasty to eat instead
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.When a motion-sensitive camera trap set up next to the Margaret River in western Australia disappeared in May this year, the wildlife rangers responsible assumed that it had fallen into the water.
Weeks ago, however, the authorities received a phone call notifying them that the camera had been found nearly 70 miles away. The culprit? A juvenile sea eagle, trying to work out whether it could eat the strange contraption.
"It was pretty amazing because it's one of the first camera traps to ever get picked up," ranger Roneil Skeen told ABC news.
"They've had camera traps moved [by animals] before, but not taken off, like a flying camera you know? It was pretty cool so we were pretty shocked.”
The camera had originally been set up to photograph fresh-water crocodiles, but rangers were instead greeted with short clips of an eagle carrying the device down a gorge.
The bird then takes a break, only to peer into the lens seconds later before giving the camera a couple of inquisitive taps with its beak and talons.
The rangers said next time they would bolt the camera down, but that they were lucky the eagle hadn’t smashed the device – something they attribute to its young age.
"We knew it was a juvenile eagle because the adult sea eagles, once they get their food or their prey, they usually take it right up into the sky and drop it," said Skeen.
"But this one was still learning because he just took it near the cliff-side and he never dropped [it], he just put it down and started picking at it.
"An adult one would have flown it right up the top and yeah for sure it would have smashed that camera."
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments