While nature004 Archivesbe breathtakingly beautiful, wildlife can pose a lot of potential danger.
The Alice Springs Desert Park in Australia was reminded of this after a wedge-tailed eagle tried to fly away with a young boy on July 6.
As BBC News reported, the wedge-tailed eagle attempted to airlift the boy during a popular wildlife show at the park. They wrote that the surrounding crowd was stunned by the event and witnesses explained that the bird "attempted to pick him up like a small animal."
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BBC News spoke with onlooker, Christine O'Connell, who captured several photos of the attack and even posted one on Instagram with a short account of what she witnessed.
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O'Connell captioned the photo:
"At a nature park in Alice Springs we decided to go to a bird show the young boy in the green kept pulling his zipper up and down. For some reason the wedge-tailed eagle did not like it and instead of flying over to the log he is meant to for a photo opportunity he flew straight at the young boy and attacked him. The show was quickly cancelled and the boy taken off to first aid. Those talons are huge he was a very lucky young boy."
According to reports, BBC News shared that the boy -- believed to be between ages six and eight -- was taken for medical treatment for minor injuries including a "superficial gash to his face."
The park released the following statement after the NT News contacted them regarding the incident:
“On Wednesday, July 6, an incident occurred at the Alice Springs Desert Park where an eagle made contact with an audience member. A thorough investigation regarding the circumstances behind this incident is under way and the eagle will be removed from the show while this investigation is ongoing.”
Whether it be to crash a fishing trip or brawl with a goose, this is certainly not the first time an eagle has swooped in to cause a commotion.
The attack followed the tragedy that took place just last month when an alligator dragged a toddler into the water near a Disney resort, and is not the first time an eagle has attempted to take a child.
Mashable has reached out to Christine O'Connell for additional comment and will update this article once we receive a response.
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