Eagles are incredibly majestic birds. They often inspire awe in all who view them. The golden eagle is one of the largest birds in North America, reaching lengths of up to 33 inches. While many may crave to see an incredible bird like this, that was not the case in the small village of Orklan. In this village, a golden eagle attacked a toddler and three other people.
Golden Eagle Attacks Onlookers
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The NY Post shares the story of an aggressive golden eagle that attacks various civilians over a five-day period. In Orklan — "a small village in the Scandinavian country's south"— a golden eagle attacked a toddler that was playing outside in her family's yard.
The bird sliced the girl open with its talons. Luckily, the child's mother and a neighbor saw the attack and helped to fight the bird off. However, the golden eagle attacked the toddler three times before the adults were able to intervene. The mother, frightened by the encounter, killed the eagle with a piece of wood.
Once the golden eagle threat was removed, the girl was taken to receive care. She needed stitches and had several scratch marks on her face, "including one wound just under her eye." Although she received minor injuries, she and her mother have been reported to be fine.
The golden eagle that attacked this toddler is believed to be the same golden eagle that attacked three other individuals earlier in the week. One of those people was Francis Ari Sture. Francis was hiking on a mountain when he felt a large push. He told the post that he thought a person had shoved him, but he then saw the golden eagle.
Similarly to the toddler's attack, one strike was not enough here either. "The bird attacked him five more times, scratching and clawing the 31-year-old's face and arms as it chased him down the mountain for more than 10 minutes."
Are Golden Eagle Attacks Common?
In addition to the two attacks mentioned above, there was another. A golden eagle also attacked a woman. She shared the story and a video of the golden eagle attack. She described a heavyweight slamming into her shoulder and said, "I went down on my knees because I couldn't stand up."
Her husband was able to chase the bird away, but not before his wife suffered some deep cuts. She required a tetanus shot and penicillin at the hospital. Although these attacks seem common based on this bird attacking so many people, eagle expert Alv Ottar Folkstead claims that they are "radically different from normal eagle behavior."
He continues to say that this particular bird "likely had a behavioral disorder." Folkstead is also confident that all of the attacks were committed by the same bird. He states, "Details in the plumage make me believe it is the same bird. The plumage means that no two golden eagles are alike."
So, while these attacks were terrifying, people should be aware that they are rare.
