Eagle Catches Baby Goose from Mom – But She Comes to the Rescue

A goose proves that a mother really will do anything for her babies! All hope was lost when an eagle dove in to grab a gosling, but the mother goose wasn’t giving up. She chased after the eagle and tried to fight it!
Send in your wildlife video here, and earn money: https://latestsightings.com/film-earn

Kyle Branch, a wildlife professional at Classic Zambia Safaris, filmed this incredible interaction in Lower Zambezi National Park.

A boat safari is a great way to see the African bush. Some of the best elephant sightings are experienced this way, and if you’re lucky enough, you might even see a hunt along the riverbanks.

Kyle was out on a boat when he spotted a fish eagle hovering over the water. They do this before swooping down on their prey, but this time the eagle wasn’t targeting any fish! The eagle had spotted a baby Egyptian goose and decided it would be perfect for a quick and easy meal.

The gosling had already sensed danger before the attack and was desperately diving under the water to avoid being caught. This is a defensive behavior seen in many waterfowl species. The little one was surprisingly sharp to show this at such a young age, but it didn’t work…

The eagle scooped down, quickly grabbing the baby waterbird with its talons and shooting off. It happened so fast that it seemed all hope was lost for the gosling. But the mother goose didn’t lose faith!

African Fish Eagles’ feathers can become waterlogged after catching prey in the water. They are still able to fly, but it becomes challenging, so they aim for the nearest land to dry off. Luckily for the determined goose, this meant there was still a fighting chance because the nearest land was close by; all she needed to do was get there.
It was almost as if the mother goose had predicted the eagle’s next steps, as they both reached the bank at the same time. This is when they had a stare-down. The eagle, tired — holding the gosling down with its claws while it tried to catch a breath.

This gave the mother goose a chance, but she had to act quickly! She was much smaller than the raptor, but she was brave and opened her wings wide to make herself look bigger as she walked toward the attacker.

The tables had turned, and the eagle was still too tired to fly off, so the goose bravely lunged toward it in an attack. The eagle had to react to defend itself, and the most it could do was jump toward the goose and meet her in the air. The goose was quick to lunge a second time, and this time the eagle was off guard, letting go of the gosling.

The baby goose took the opportunity and darted for the water. The mother had saved it incredibly, but she couldn’t celebrate yet. She needed to make sure the baby got away safely. There was no need to attack again; the goose only needed to distract the eagle.

The goose put on a display to grab the eagle’s attention, and it worked like a charm. The eagle didn’t look back once at the gosling. When the goose was confident that her baby was safe, she made a quick escape of her own. Leaving the eagle confused and without a meal to show for its effort.

To license the footage:
[email protected]

Snapchat: LatestSightings
Twitter & Instagram: @LatestKruger

For live wildlife sightings in the Kruger National Park: http://www.latestsightings.com/

And like our Facebook page for great sightings and photos: https://www.facebook.com/latestsightingskruger

Subscribe to us on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/LatestSightings

source