Watch: Brave goose takes on eagle to save her baby
A mother’s love knows no bounds, as demonstrated by a goose that was determined to save her chick from a hungry eagle.
Kyle Branch, a wildlife professional from Classic Zambia Safaris, filmed an incredible sighting of an Egyptian goose rescuing her baby after it was snatched by an African fish eagle in the Lower Zambezi National Park.
Branch, who shared his video and encounter with LatestSightings.com, says he was 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 fish! It spotted a baby Egyptian goose, which it thought would be a quick and easy meal.
The chick had already sensed danger before the attack and was desperately diving under the water to avoid being caught. This defensive behaviour is 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 swooped down, grabbed the baby, and flew off. “It happened so fast; it seemed all hope was lost. But the mother goose didn’t lose faith!”
According to the article on LatestSightings.com, African fish eagles’ feathers can become waterlogged after catching prey in the water. They can still fly, but it becomes challenging, so they aim for land to dry off. This gave the determined mother goose a fighting chance and she was able to reach her baby quickly.
The mother goose opened her wings wide, to make herself look bigger, and lunged towards the eagle.
The eagle jumped towards the goose, meeting her in the air, but the goose lunged a second time, catching the eagle off guard. It released the baby, which darted back into the water.
