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A camera trap intended for Siberian tiger research in southeastern Russia instead captured a golden eagle swooping on a yearling sika deer on December 1, 2011.
The camera trap caught two seconds of the attack, starting with the photo above, which ended badly for the deer—a healthy yearling estimated to be at least seven months old.
In a Journal of Raptor Research report by Linda Kerley of the Zoological Society of London and Jonathan C. Slaght of the Wildlife Conservation Society Russia Program, the camera trap team describes the fortuitous photos as likely the first documented golden eagle attack on a deer, although field reports suggest the birds also prey on reindeer, mountain goats, and brown bear cubs.
—Dan Vergano
