Raid in Carinthia
Hungry eagle owl snatched mini Chihuahua bitch
A small Chihuahua bitch was chosen as prey by a hungry eagle owl in a municipality in Upper Carinthia. An amateur ornithologist explains how this could have happened and why such an incident is rare.
The owners of the dog "Nala" certainly never expected this to happen during their nightly walk with their dog. "It was shortly before midnight when suddenly there was a loud noise and I saw an eagle owl in front of me," Alexander Lerchster describes the unbelievable scene.
"The dog was only ten meters away from me. The large bird swooped down on the little one, snatched her up, and tried to make a getaway," the dog owner continues.
Mini Chihuahua tried to defend herself
But the mini Chihuahua mustered all her strength and tried to defend herself. "She finally succeeded, fell to the ground and fled into the forest in fear," says Lerchster, who immediately set out with his wife Melanie to search for the dog.
They were successful and found the pet – but she was injured. "We took her to the vet with cuts that needed stitches. From now on, 'Nala' always wears a light-up band around her neck at night," say the Seeboden couple.
Rare prey
But is it common for Chihuahuas to be prey for eagle owls? According to amateur ornithologist Horst Zwischenberger, such an attack is extremely rare: "These nocturnal birds feed mainly on small mammals such as rats, mice, and young foxes. But this year, the past winter months were extremely frosty, so it's possible that the eagle owl didn't catch enough small mammals."
That is why the largest species of owl, with a wingspan of 1.80 meters, may have targeted the small 11-year-old "Nala," weighing 1.5 kilograms.
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