Eagle attacked my 85 lb Rough Collie

[Bullitt]

I understand there are many different types of eagles. Who said there weren't? I just said I had not heard that bald eagles' talons are weaker than golden eagles' talons. That may be true.

My interpretation of what happened is based on the way it was described. It was stated, "My husband headed outside anyway, and the eagle proceeded to jump out of the run and ATTACK our barking collie."

That sounds to me like the eagle could have flown away when it jumped out of the run. But the eagle did not fly away until the man ran towards it. That sure sounds like the eagle was trying to kill the dog.

 

[JenellYB]

The thread starter hasn't said, that I've noticed, whether these are Bald or Golden eagles. The Golden eagle is the most common and widely distributed eagle specie in North America, especially the west. This person lives on Whidby Island on Puget Sound. Close to as West as you can be. The behavior described seems more likely for a Golden than a Bald. I'm curious why many seem to be assuming these are Bald eagles.

 

[Bullitt]

There are many, many bald eagles along the Pacific coast of Washington. That is why I thought it was a bald eagle.

 

[JenellYB]

Both Bald and Golden are common in that region.
Bald eagles are "fish eagles", their diets usually primarily fish. Goldens are primarily hunters of mammals and birds.

There are many, many bald eagles along the Pacific coast of Washington. That is why I thought it was a bald eagle.

 

[luvmychixandducks]

Never had an eagle problem here in the Northeast - but one year we had a rash of pedestrians
(including my little sister) who were attacked regularly by an Owl that must have had a nest near the road. The owl swooped down and rapped her on the back of the head- then landed in front of her and made her turn tail and run home.
Well, about a week later, our very protective German Shepherd who ran loose and protected the whole neighborhood showed up at home in the morning with open wounds on the top of his head.
We got him doctored up and he recovered without incident- however we did see in the local paper that the attacking owl from a few streets over, had shown up killed the same day Shadow came home injured. Coincidence? I never thought so.
I don't think an owner can be prosecuted for their dog's protective behavior against a bird.
At least, I hope not... anyway, the statute of limitations has long run out on that violation.

 

[DCasper]

I am not sure about Golden Eagles, but killing a Bald Eagle can land you in a federal prison for five years. I would definitely call the Game Warden and let him/her know what is going on and ask them to remove the eagle. I don't know what would happen if your dog actually killed an eagle, but I would be willing to bet you might have to jump through some hoops answering why you didn't protect the eagle by locking you your dog.


Good luck...

 

[Imp]

I would assume LOrraine is talking about Bald Eagles. She has posted about them in the past. But it could be a Golden.
Growing up in Alaska Bald Eagles would occasionally grab smaller dogs and carry them off. Mostly tourist's lap dogs. A collie would be pretty big. Once I heard of one going after a 2 year old human child. It flew off almost immediately without injuring the child. At the time it was reported in the local papers that it was probably confused, looking down and misjudged at what it was looking at.

Imp

 

[JenellYB]

Yes, it would be true that Bald eagles have the weaker talons...If I am remembering correctly, the Golden Eagle is considered to have the greatest talon strength of any raptor in the world.

Watching the mentioned videos, Goldens hunting wolves.. they are definitely not merely 'defending' themselves. And they clearly have no reserve about eating the wolves.

I understand there are many different types of eagles. Who said there weren't? I just said I had not heard that bald eagles' talons are weaker than golden eagles' talons. That may be true.

My interpretation of what happened is based on the way it was described. It was stated, "My husband headed outside anyway, and the eagle proceeded to jump out of the run and ATTACK our barking collie."

That sounds to me like the eagle could have flown away when it jumped out of the run. But the eagle did not fly away until the man ran towards it. That sure sounds like the eagle was trying to kill the dog.

 

[JenellYB]

Naturally any predator is going to go first for the easiest and safest targets..they are naturally conservative of both their energy and safety. The Golden eagels ofthe wolf hunting peoplein Asia are obviously raised and trained to target wolves and foxes. Their more natural and prefered food in the wild there seems to be goats, sheep, deer, and smaller animals.
But that potential also means it can happen in other ways, beginning to target things like wolves or dogs. Scarce food mightly rarely be an incentive, but I can also see how just such a scenario as described here, the collie 'interrupting' it's chosen prey could provide incentive, "first taste of" taking on a large dog, learns it CAN? Or even a similar incident ithe wild with a wolve trying to take its prey...From there, it seems a natural progression to being more comfortabl with that kind of prey?

that's mostly why I suggested notifying wildlife authorities...that can be the start of a habit, in one bird, and others can learn from its demonstration. And can lead to them preying on what is usually not their normal prey group.

I would assume LOrraine is talking about Bald Eagles. She has posted about them in the past. But it could be a Golden.
Growing up in Alaska Bald Eagles would occasionally grab smaller dogs and carry them off. Mostly tourist's lap dogs. A collie would be pretty big. Once I heard of one going after a 2 year old human child. It flew off almost immediately without injuring the child. At the time it was reported in the local papers that it was probably confused, looking down and misjudged at what it was looking at.

Imp

 

[Oregon Blues]

I would say that it was self defense, not prey mode. The dog was in attack mode, the eagle responded in kind.

I don't know how large the personal zone is for an eagle, but the dog got inside it. Once you get too close, flight turns into fight.

Eagles can take down deer fawns, and they do. But those aren't collie size. I think it is a bit too early to start worrying about eagles attacking 85 pound dogs just for the fun of it.

Don't get too close to any wild animal. They will all attack, even that timid rabbit, if you get inside their personal space and they feel threatened. Eagles are fierce creatures, so do not go out of your way to provoke them. Make sure they have plenty of space and the time to spread their wings, and they will leave. Push them too closely, and yeah, maybe they will fight.