# Video of eagle snatching kid from park in Montreal **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [December 19, 2012, 12:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/video-of-eagle-snatching-kid-from-park-in-montreal/644516 "2012-12-19T12:39:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Frodo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/frodo/32/302_2.png) [@Frodo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frodo)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2012, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/video-of-eagle-snatching-kid-from-park-in-montreal/644516/41 "2012-12-19T21:07:41Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > Mr. Frodo, the Eagles are coming! Cool!, More frequent-flyer miles for me! ---
**Author:** ![Furious\_Marmot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/dfb087/32.png) [@Furious\_Marmot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Furious_Marmot)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2012, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/video-of-eagle-snatching-kid-from-park-in-montreal/644516/42 "2012-12-19T21:08:36Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > Mr. Frodo, the Eagles are coming! Don’t just stand there, call ticketmaster. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2012, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/video-of-eagle-snatching-kid-from-park-in-montreal/644516/43 "2012-12-19T21:11:15Z")
> [@bot3](#): > > Maybe this is a fake or maybe not. The point is that it can and does happen. My daughter is a veterinarian and has stories of small dogs and cats (not much smaller than that child) that have been in fact taken by birds of prey. Golden Eagles do attack and kill animals up to the size of small deer and goats. However, I don’t think one could lift a toddler of the size shown in the video off the ground. [This video](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8iiTY4RIZ0Q) shows a Golden Eagle catching a small fox that’s much smaller than the child in the video (starting at about 2:30), and can’t lift it. (Later it attacks a wolf.)[In this video](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yz7FFlFy8eM) a Golden Eagle plucks a goat from a cliff, but is unable to rise with it, only carrying it downward. ---
**Author:** ![bot3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/41988e/32.png) [@bot3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bot3)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2012, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/video-of-eagle-snatching-kid-from-park-in-montreal/644516/44 "2012-12-19T21:39:10Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > Golden Eagles do attack and kill animals up to the size of small deer and goats. However, I don’t think one could lift a toddler of the size shown in the video off the ground. [This video](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8iiTY4RIZ0Q) shows a Golden Eagle catching a small fox that’s much smaller than the child in the video (starting at about 2:30), and can’t lift it. (Later it attacks a wolf.)[In this video](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yz7FFlFy8eM) a Golden Eagle plucks a goat from a cliff, but is unable to rise with it, only carrying it downward. Yes I have to agree with you. I have warped sense of humor, but when my daughter first told me of the client that called her one afternoon after she just gave her small dog a physical that morning, crying that a hawk swept down and snatched the dog. I started laughing so hard. I know its sad but I just couldn’t help it. ---
**Author:** ![Cryptic\_C62](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/3e96dc/32.png) [@Cryptic\_C62](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cryptic_C62)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2012, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/video-of-eagle-snatching-kid-from-park-in-montreal/644516/45 "2012-12-19T21:54:38Z")
> [@Malthus](#): > > Obviously, Canadian parents should be allowed to carry concealed eagles, just in case. I really shouldn’t find this funny, considering I grew up an hour away from Newtown, but I did. A winner is you! Though how exactly does one conceal an eagle…? ---
**Author:** ![Furious\_Marmot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/dfb087/32.png) [@Furious\_Marmot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Furious_Marmot)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2012, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/video-of-eagle-snatching-kid-from-park-in-montreal/644516/46 "2012-12-19T21:58:05Z")
> [@Cryptic\_C62](#): > > Though how exactly does one conceal an eagle…? Under a shearling jacket. Worn by a monkey. ---
**Author:** ![StGermain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stgermain/32/2868_2.png) [@StGermain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StGermain)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2012, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/video-of-eagle-snatching-kid-from-park-in-montreal/644516/47 "2012-12-19T22:08:12Z")
[Here’s an article showing a Scottish golden eagle carrying a lamb](http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/8350393/Takeaway-meal-golden-eagle-snatches-lamb-from-hillside.html). I haven’t seen the video, and it’s now debunked, but I’d assume an 18 month old weighs about 25 lbs. How much do you think that lamb weighed? StG ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2012, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/video-of-eagle-snatching-kid-from-park-in-montreal/644516/48 "2012-12-19T22:42:18Z")
> [@StGermain](#): > > [Here’s an article showing a Scottish golden eagle carrying a lamb](http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/8350393/Takeaway-meal-golden-eagle-snatches-lamb-from-hillside.html). I haven’t seen the video, and it’s now debunked, but I’d assume an 18 month old weighs about 25 lbs. How much do you think that lamb weighed? > > StG A Golden Eagle may weigh close to 7 kg/15 lb. A reference I just checked says they usually take prey up to half their body weight, but can carry prey up to 5+kg/11 lb. [Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_Eagle)says they can fly with prey up to or slightly more than their own weight, so 15 lb is probably the max. Note that the bird in the photo you linked to is not necessarily lifting the lamb into the air. As in the video I linked to above, it could have snatched it from higher on the hill and be gliding downward while carrying it. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2012, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/video-of-eagle-snatching-kid-from-park-in-montreal/644516/49 "2012-12-19T23:00:04Z")
I’ve never seen eagle eating anything, but hawks routinely grab prey, then only fly a sort distance before landing again and pecking it to death. Then they tend to rip pieces of meat out to eat. Even if that eagle could lift the kid, it wouldn’t get far, and a public park wouldn’t look like an ideal place to feed. But I guess if he was hungry enough he’d give it a try. I’ve seen a hawk land with a pigeon in it’s talons in the middle of a city and try to eat it while simultaneously being annoyed at people taking it’s picture on cell phones. ---
**Author:** ![bot3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/41988e/32.png) [@bot3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bot3)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2012, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/video-of-eagle-snatching-kid-from-park-in-montreal/644516/50 "2012-12-19T23:05:49Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > I’ve never seen eagle eating anything, but hawks routinely grab prey, then only fly a sort distance before landing again and pecking it to death. Then they tend to rip pieces of meat out to eat. Even if that eagle could lift the kid, it wouldn’t get far, and a public park wouldn’t look like an ideal place to feed. But I guess if he was hungry enough he’d give it a try. I’ve seen a hawk land with a pigeon in it’s talons in the middle of a city and[SIZE=“5”][SIZE=“6”] [SIZE=“5”]try to eat it while simultaneously being annoyed at people taking it’s picture on cell phones.[/SIZE][/SIZE][/SIZE] And people wonder why birds shit all over their cars. ---
**Author:** ![Antigen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/848f3c/32.png) [@Antigen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antigen)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2012, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/video-of-eagle-snatching-kid-from-park-in-montreal/644516/51 "2012-12-19T23:55:44Z")
> [@Antigen](#): > > I can’t get the audio on my work computer but I’ll listen again when I get home so I can hear the language switch, and I’ll get back to you if it changes my opinion. Listening to it now, it sounds like the guy says “Shit” in a very Francophone way, so my initial assessment may have been wrong. You’d be surprised how many French-speakers use “shit”. It’s a damn useful word and many have adopted it despite its English origins. See also: “fuck”. ---
**Author:** ![matt\_mcl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ab992/32.png) [@matt\_mcl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/matt_mcl)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2012, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/video-of-eagle-snatching-kid-from-park-in-montreal/644516/52 "2012-12-20T02:39:49Z")
> [@Antigen](#): > > Listening to it now, it sounds like the guy says “Shit” in a very Francophone way, so my initial assessment may have been wrong. You’d be surprised how many French-speakers use “shit”. It’s a damn useful word and many have adopted it despite its English origins. See also: “fuck”. Second this-- lots of French speakers use English curse words even in the middle of French sentences, as in _c’est un fucking trou de cul sui-là, c’est de la bullshit c’qu’y raconte._ ---
**Author:** ![Xema](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/9de053/32.png) [@Xema](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Xema)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2012, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/video-of-eagle-snatching-kid-from-park-in-montreal/644516/53 "2012-12-20T03:20:23Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > … fly a sort distance before landing again and pecking it to death. This isn’t how they normally kill prey - instead, they use their talons. Using the beak as a weapon risks eye damage, which is a Really Bad Idea for a predator so dependent on vision. Once the prey is dead (or at least close enough to be incapable of inflicting damage) they definitely use their beak to tear it apart. ---
**Author:** ![Shamozzle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shamozzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shamozzle)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2012, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/video-of-eagle-snatching-kid-from-park-in-montreal/644516/54 "2012-12-20T03:21:28Z")
One thing I want to point out is that that child would have been severely injured, which it obviously wasn’t. An eagle’s talons are massive and powerful and would have driven deep into the child’s body, it being unlikely that the bird would have grabbed it only by it’s clothing. So, yea, it’s obviously BS. That, and the bird would have been flapping like a mofo to lift it. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2012, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/video-of-eagle-snatching-kid-from-park-in-montreal/644516/55 "2012-12-20T03:22:48Z")
> [@Xema](#): > > This isn’t how they normally kill prey - instead, they use their talons. Using the beak as a weapon risks eye damage, which is a Really Bad Idea for a predator so dependent on vision. > > Once the prey is dead (or at least close enough to be incapable of inflicting damage) they definitely use their beak to tear it apart. That makes sense. They may have just been taking a taste to start with. ---
**Author:** ![notfrommensa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/f14d63/32.png) [@notfrommensa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/notfrommensa)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2012, 3:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/video-of-eagle-snatching-kid-from-park-in-montreal/644516/56 "2012-12-20T03:23:20Z")
> [@Cryptic\_C62](#): > > Though how exactly does one conceal an eagle…? Illegally, I presume. ---
**Author:** ![Rand\_Rover](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/db5fbb/32.png) [@Rand\_Rover](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rand_Rover)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2012, 4:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/video-of-eagle-snatching-kid-from-park-in-montreal/644516/57 "2012-12-20T04:30:24Z")
The thing that screams FAKE! to me is how, after the eagle grabs the kid, the guy keeps hold of the camera and gently trots over. Any normal person would drop the camera and run like hell, and if it was the kid’s dad, he would be absolutely flying. ---
**Author:** ![rowrrbazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rowrrbazzle/32/414_2.png) [@rowrrbazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rowrrbazzle)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2012, 6:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/video-of-eagle-snatching-kid-from-park-in-montreal/644516/58 "2012-12-20T06:41:32Z")
(never mind) ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2012, 10:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/video-of-eagle-snatching-kid-from-park-in-montreal/644516/59 "2012-12-20T10:50:23Z")
[Fake.](http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/trending-now/video-golden-eagle-snatching-kid-real-181954669.html) > [@](#): > > Some people also brought up the existence of an annual Hoax the Internet contest held at a 3D animation school in, you guessed it, Montreal. This theory proved to be the most accurate as the visual arts school Centre NAD released a statement confirming the video was fake. The statement reads, in part, that it “was made by Normand Archambault, Loïc Mireault and Félix Marquis-Poulin, students at Centre NAD, in the production simulation workshop class of the Bachelors degree in 3D Animation and Digital Design.” ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2012, 12:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/video-of-eagle-snatching-kid-from-park-in-montreal/644516/60 "2012-12-20T12:04:50Z")
You’ve only got to watch 4 seconds of the video before it’s reasonably obvious the bird is fake - the wing-flapping at that point is unnaturally stiff (my first thought - at that early point in the footage - was that it looked like an RC model of a bird) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/video-of-eagle-snatching-kid-from-park-in-montreal/644516.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/video-of-eagle-snatching-kid-from-park-in-montreal/644516.md?page=4)