Norway: Golden eagle attacks toddler “like prey” from the air

A golden eagle attacked a small child in Norway from the air, injuring her head. As the child’s father told public broadcaster NRK, his 20-month-old daughter was playing on the family farm in Trøndelag on Sunday when the bird of prey swooped down on her. The girl’s mother only managed to free the child from the eagle’s clutches with great difficulty.

“The eagle appeared out of nowhere and grabbed our youngest daughter,” the father told NRK. The mother pounced on the bird and held it, “but she had to fight to get it to let go.”

A neighbor also had to intervene. After being rescued, the little girl had to have stitches on the back of her head, and scratches on her face were a reminder of the golden eagle’s attack.

The bird of prey was shot after the incident. Gamekeeper Per Kare Vinterdal justified his action on NRK by saying that the eagle had treated the girl “like prey”. The mother and the neighbor had managed to keep the golden eagle at a distance with sticks, but the bird of prey “kept coming back”.