Golden Eagles Steal Livestock in Britain, Amazing Photo.

This story comes from David Boffey and Jane Simpson at Mail Online

Swooping low over a mountainside, this magnificent but deadly golden eagle clutches a bloodied lamb in its talons. This dramatic picture provides the first photographic evidence that the powerful birds of prey have been snatching livestock from British farmers' flocks. It was taken on the Isle of Mull, off the West coast of Scotland, where shepherds have long campaigned against the reintroduction of eagles which they see as a threat to their livelihoods. Conservationists - who have not seen such direct evidence as this before - say the birds target only dead or weak animals. It is unclear whether the lamb was still alive in this photograph. It was taken by a bird-watcher who does not want to be named as he fears that could identify the location of the eagles' nests, and put the birds at risk from angry hill farmers. He said: 'I was visiting Mull with my wife and really wanted to see a golden eagle. I asked around and was directed to an area near Ben More. 'There were a few other cars parked close by and some eagles circling, possibly by an eyrie. Suddenly this massive eagle swooped into view. We could see it was carrying something beneath it and my wife, who had binoculars, thought it was a white mountain hare. 'As it got closer, I said to her, "That's no hare, it's a lamb". It was a very unusual sight and a bit sad for the lamb but it's nature, and that's what happens. It's certainly a sight that neither of us will forget.' The lamb is likely to have been snatched from the 1,700-strong flock of Donald MacLean, who farms 10,000 acres on the island. He said: 'This is a hugely significant photograph, catching the eagle in the act. It proves eagles are terrain is uncompromising and there are all sorts of reasons why we lose lambs. But they are white and easy to spot for the eagles. 'On one occasion, two eagles were trying to take a lamb from its mother and were struggling. A third eagle came in to distract the ewe and one of the others got the lamb. They don't show much mercy.' Jonnie Hall, head of rural policy at the National Farmers Union for Scotland, said: 'It is an unequivocal fact that eagles do take live lambs. This is a major concern for hill farmers in western Scotland.' Golden eagles are native to Scotland. However, farmers are more concerned by the reintroduction of the only bigger British bird, the white-tailed eagle. It became extinct in Britain in the early 19th Century but is being returned to the wild along Scotland's East and West coasts.carrying off lambs, evidence that farmers need to make their point.' Mr MacLean is unable to put a figure on how many animals a year he loses to eagles - although crofters in nearby Wester Ross have said that up to 200 lambs a season are killed by eagles.

I love photos like this one for a couple of reasons. Mainly I find it reaffirming that photos are still taken of phenomenon like this in nature that the day before the photograph was taken was only speculated upon. Nature never seems to disappoint when it comes to this. I would find it troubling if we had indeed 'seen it all'. Obviously we have not.
I am also amazed at the way these birds seem to hunt cooperatively. Sort of like a wolf pack from the description in the story. I did not know that birds hunted like that. And finally, it just plain warms my heart when a photo emerges that upsets the apple cart in terms of what the 'authorities' think is going on in their own backyard..
Thanks for coming by to check it out.

Here is a link to the story at The Daily Mail:www.dailymail.co.uk...

Check this video out. Here is an eagle picking up a goat and dropping it to it's death:



An easy way for an eagle to take down large prey.

So what's more important?

The continued survival of one of natures most spectacular and deadly hunters?

Or

Some silly little lamb that will be replaced by 20 other little lambs through forced breeding?

I'll take the Eagles for 100$ Alex!

But seriously, lambs are not on the verge of extinction. So who cares about 200 out of 2 billion? There are hundreds of ways to scare the eagles away without harming them. How about a cannon loaded with blanks? How about decoys? But I bet that farmer is not that smart. He will more than likely end up killing as many as he can.

How long has the farmer been on earth? maybe 60 years?

How long has the eagle been on earth? maybe 1 million?

Which is more important? Us or Them?

reply to post by Aggie Man

WOW!! Nice Vid AggieMan!

Lol, I've never seen anything like that before. I know I know, poor little goat. But that was amazing!

Eagles are large and powerful birds that you really can't grasp until you see one up close in flight.

I witnessed a native bald eagle (west US) flying around one of my pastures, who had dropped a heavy white fronted goose, bloody and injured, but otherwise healthy. This type of goose is said to be around 6 lbs, and I know I've had lambs that small, plus lambs can't fight back like a healthy goose with some powerful wings.

I don't doubt an eagle could prey on those lambs and I as a livestock owner am torn between the reintroduction of native predators and keeping them out to protect our livelihood.

Still, even when I have smaller hawks harrassing my chickens I hesitate to shoot them and try to rely on other means of deterrent. After all, raptors who eat birds will eat rodents too, and rattlesnakes, and I'd rather keep them around to prevent the overabundance of pests.

P.S. I saved the goose and released him back into a small local lake.

reply to post by CastleMadeOfSand

But seriously, lambs are not on the verge of extinction. So who cares about 200 out of 2 billion?

I would say that you should ask PETA that question.

They don't want us to kill a cockroach. But a tiger can kill a human, to them that is nature. But they don't want me to kill and eat a squirrel.

reply to post by Aggie Man

That was amazing to watch. Nature is amazing.

Originally posted by butcherguy
reply to post by CastleMadeOfSand

 

But seriously, lambs are not on the verge of extinction. So who cares about 200 out of 2 billion?

I would say that you should ask PETA that question.

They don't want us to kill a cockroach. But a tiger can kill a human, to them that is nature. But they don't want me to kill and eat a squirrel.

If I asked PETA that question I would probably get a gallon of red paint thrown on me.

Have you ever actually eaten a squirrel? I know people who have. They say it's not that bad!

I wonder how many insects and little furry critters have been run over and killed by PETA on their way to protest the killing of animals?

Originally posted by butcherguy
reply to post by CastleMadeOfSand

 

But seriously, lambs are not on the verge of extinction. So who cares about 200 out of 2 billion?

I would say that you should ask PETA that question.

They don't want us to kill a cockroach. But a tiger can kill a human, to them that is nature. But they don't want me to kill and eat a squirrel.

Well we are part of NATURE and also a mammal. We can kill too for hunger and self defense. Its common sense. PETA has few valid points with respect to animal cruelty however I wonder how many of them are Vegans.

I guess it's no big deal if you're not one of the farmers who lose $ every time an iggle steals their property. I understand that predation is part of the farm/ranch business but it still has to be a pain.

we had a guy down home farming bass and Ospreys would fly in and steal fish.
he put a cash box out but not one of the Ospreys would contribute!

Originally posted by works4dhs
I guess it's no big deal if you're not one of the farmers who lose $ every time an iggle steals their property. I understand that predation is part of the farm/ranch business but it still has to be a pain.

we had a guy down home farming bass and Ospreys would fly in and steal fish.
he put a cash box out but not one of the Ospreys would contribute!

No doubt it's a pain in the - - - for the farmers. But is losing money more important than losing an entire species?

About the guy from your hometown, did he try to use any kind of decoys? Like a statue of a large bird of prey? Airhorns?

I'm sure the Osprey's needed to save their money so they could buy themselves some nice Eagle Down Comforters and bed sheets.

They are Powerful Predators and even been used to hunt wolf and deer.

By the way...Anybody see the stone face @ 1:34 in the rock? That caught my eye right away! Anyone know where this was filmed?

reply to post by CastleMadeOfSand
I like squirrel, turtles and snake. A lot of critters that others wouldn't touch. I won't eat opossum, though.

I don't care much for a lot of PETA's talking points. Especially that we shouldn't kill pests or vermin.

Who you root for depends on what National Geographic special you are watching.

If it is on lambs (or mountain goats), we are all rooting for the poor little, defenseless lamb/goat to escape from the clutches of the evil eagle and live another day of glorious freedom.

If it is on eagles, we are rooting for them to feed their poor defenseless offspring, nesting and on the verge of starvation.

In the case of the article, I guess we are meant to feel sorry for the farmer because of the potential loss in revenue... not happening here, though I'm sure I'd be quite upset in their place.

As for Aggie Man's video, I'm unfamiliar with the language of the video, so I can't decide who to root for!?!

the Billmeister

p.s.
Thanks to the OP and Aggie Man for some very interesting images of an amazing animal.

Originally posted by butcherguy
reply to post by CastleMadeOfSand

 

I like squirrel, turtles and snake. A lot of critters that others wouldn't touch. I won't eat opossum, though.

I don't care much for a lot of PETA's talking points. Especially that we shouldn't kill pests or vermin.

Snakes aren't that bad to eat. I'd like to try turtle soup some day.

Lol, I am reminded of a bumper sticker I saw once.

PETA= People Eating Tasty Animals

These videos are incredible. Here are the Kazakhs and their hunting birds. We get to see the cooperative hunting action of the birds here. I find it a little ironic that the birds in this 'pack' are hunting a wolf.


Another good one with a compilation of stills. I think this is my new favorite animal

Originally posted by CastleMadeOfSand

Originally posted by works4dhs
I guess it's no big deal if you're not one of the farmers who lose $ every time an iggle steals their property. I understand that predation is part of the farm/ranch business but it still has to be a pain.

we had a guy down home farming bass and Ospreys would fly in and steal fish.
he put a cash box out but not one of the Ospreys would contribute!

No doubt it's a pain in the - - - for the farmers. But is losing money more important than losing an entire species?

About the guy from your hometown, did he try to use any kind of decoys? Like a statue of a large bird of prey? Airhorns?

I'm sure the Osprey's needed to save their money so they could buy themselves some nice Eagle Down Comforters and bed sheets.

I have mixed feelings. it's way cool to see the eagle do it's thing but I can't help but think of the farmer (I has an agriculture background, sorta) and his loss.
and no, I don't want anything extinct. breaks my heart we lost the Carolina Parakeet due to their feasting on crops/fruits. too bad we didn't have an Endangered Species act back then.
www.abovetopsecret.com...

Great pictures and videos! Eagles are amazing, Golden eagles are one of my favorites. It is impressive just how large they are, especially when you get up close and personal with them. I work with birds, not Goldens, but Stellar's eagle, little bigger. These birds make it easier to understand the thunderbird, and how many people a long time ago probably mistook them for something unusual or prehistoric. As it was stated earlier, nature is amazing!

In regards to the farmers dilemma, there are many options to dissuade birds from eating your crops/livestock. With Osprey, you can get many different kites in the shape of birds that will keep them away. Kind of like scarecrows in the sky. Also keep in mind this is probably not happening all that often. Just because it can happen, does not mean that it is the main predator. Predators are essential to the environment, if you are a farmer, you need to deal with it, ex. Decoys, fences, etc.

reply to post by Aggie Man


haha that was pretty sweet to watch looked like the eagle crashed with the lamb off the first edge.. ruthless nature lol

reply to post by CastleMadeOfSand

So what's more important?

The continued survival of one of natures most spectacular and deadly hunters?

Or

Some silly little lamb that will be replaced by 20 other little lambs through forced breeding?

Spoken by some one who curses farmers with his mouth full. Think about it. There are 365 days a year that is 365 prey for ONE yes ONE predator. At fifty to a hundred bucks a lamb that is $36,000. The average net earning for farmers in the USA is $33,000

But that is alright, the Ag Cartel has plans for idiots like you. They are busy wiping out farmers all across the world. As a matter of fact the UK's DEFRA dropped farming from their name because UK farming has been pretty well wiped out Already!

Defra has dropped the word 'farming' from its title. The Telegraph today reveals that
"Defra and the Treasury's joint vision document of 2006 presented to the EU argued that supports for farming should be completely abandoned.." www.warmwell.com...

The last I checked the Ag Cartel owned 80% of the food supply and that was when the US farmer, supplying 25% of the world's grain, was free to farm.

As of 2012 that will change and free farmers will soon be a thing of the past.

The Book Food wars: the global battle for mouths, minds and markets states in 50 yrs the cartel has wiped out 86% of the farmers in Germany, 85% in France, 85% in Japan, 64 in the USA 59% in Korea and the UK.

A study done in Mexico showed NAFTA wiped out over 75% of the farmers in Mexico. In India farmers are suiciding at the rate of one every 30 minutes.

In the USA there are 2.2 million farms.

Over HALF of those farms, 1,167,751, reported losses, with an average loss $15,596.

Economic Concentration in Agribusiness Testimony to the United States Senate Committee on Agriculture

the rate of return on equity during the 1990s has been 18.0% for retail food chains, 17.2% for food manufacturers, 10.8% for agricultural banks, ... Figure 4 shows the rate of return in farming .... averaged 2.39% during the 1990s...

Irrespective of corporate power over markets, returns to farming from cash income will remain low as long as there is a pool of individuals (current farmers and potential farmers) who are willing to accept a low return and high risk just to be in farming.


As one farmer said in disgust recently

LET THEM EAT GRASS!

I sure hope you are the one reduced to eating grass!