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Fw: [BIRDCHAT] Attack Eagle(AP)



since the eagle was released in north carolina i thought it would be ok to
forward this.

lee
----- Original Message -----
From: Boltson <hboltson@SUFFOLK.LIB.NY.US>
To: <BIRDCHAT@LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU>
Sent: Wednesday, August 22, 2001 2:07 PM
Subject: [BIRDCHAT] Attack Eagle(AP)


> Today the AP filed this story about a Bald Eagle which may have a lesson
> for us all: Don't feed wildlife except perhaps seed at birdfeeders.
> HOWARD BOLTSON
> HUNTINGTON AUDUBON
> hboltson@suffolk.lib.ny.us
> ******************************
> Bald Eagle Is Frustrating Officials
>
> By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
>
>    HAMPTON BEACH, N.H. (AP) -- A bald eagle that has been chasing after
>    balls and annoying beachgoers since last week has eluded a flock of
>    wildlife officials.
>
>    The eagle, which has a 6-foot wingspan and was released into the wild
>    from a North Carolina wildlife reserve, has been menacing people since
>    Friday. On Sunday, it slightly injured a girl and two adults.
>
>    On Tuesday, the eagle swooped down and clawed a 3-year-old girl on the
>    back. Kayla Finn of Albany, N.Y., was running down the beach near two
>  other children playing football. Her father brushed away the bird. She
>    did not require medical attention.
>
>    ``Other beaches have sharks, but at Hampton, we had to be different,''
>    said Peter MacKinnon, the town's animal control officer. ``We had to
>    get an attack eagle.''
>
>    The bird spent most of Tuesday perched on chimneys and rooftops,
>    sidestepping officials each time they came close.
>
>    The bird, which is about 14 months old and still has brown feathers on
>    its head, poses little real danger to humans, officials said.
>
>    Beachgoers are making the situation worse by feeding the eagle,
>    officials said. ``He associates people with food and that's the worst
>    possible situation for a wild bird,'' MacKinnon said.
>
>    Because the eagle has been attracted to footballs, officials later
>    tried to lure it to the beach by tossing around a small green
>    football. The eagle stayed out of the game.
>
> ``It's not acting like an eagle, it's acting like a pigeon,'' said
>    state wildlife biologist Eric Orff.
>
>    Some of the spectators criticized the officials' tactics.
>
>    ``It's too obvious for him, the people with the bait down there,''
>    said Jonathan Joiner, 14, of Boston. ``I don't think he's that stupid.
>    He's up there laughing.''
>
>    Michael Amaral, an endangered species biologist with the U.S. Fish and
>    Wildlife Service, told The Union Leader an eagle with similar
>    characteristics on its band was seen last week at the Fire Island
>    National Seashore on New York's Long Island.
>
>    ``Witless human beings were hand-feeding it, so they could photograph
>    it with their children at close range,'' Amaral said.
>
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