In Bavaria, a couple while walking their dog experienced an unusual aerial attack. While Stefan Berger and his girlfriend were out and about in the Bavarian Forest with their dog Fibi, a golden eagle suddenly pounced on the animal. The bitch barely got off lightly.
“Fortunately he couldn’t really grab Fibi because she was wearing a coat. That’s why the eagle flew with the dog into the ditch next to the dirt road and we went straight there,” Berger told RTL. The long claws of the bird of prey had already pressed into the bitch’s body. Fortunately, the couple reacted quickly and was able to prevent worse.
Together Berger and his girlfriend tried to snatch their dog from the eagle. The dog owner reports that his girlfriend grabbed the bird by the neck and squeezed it tightly. He himself tried to free Fibi from the claws – ultimately with success.
But the bitch had suffered severe injuries from the attack, the eagle had literally pierced her ear and lips. About a month and a half after the incident, Fibi has recovered, the treatments in the emergency service and by the veterinarian have borne fruit. However, the bitch is now (for understandable reasons) afraid of birds.
Incidentally, the eagle belonged to a nearby falconer, whom the couple was able to locate from a tag on the bird’s foot. “The falconer himself said that the red jacket might have made the eagle believe that Fibi was bleeding prey,” Berger told the Mittelbayerische Zeitung. The owner immediately agreed to pay for the bitch’s treatment. A report to the police, however, had no consequences. From a legal point of view, the dog’s injuries are merely damage to property, which is considered to be compensated if the falconer pays for the medical costs.
Sources: RTL / “Mittelbayerische Zeitung”
