Bald Eagle Flying in a Baseball Stadium Decides to Land on the Back of an Outfield Player

It was a normal day at the ballpark for the Seattle Mariners and the Minnesota Twins on April 5, 2018. The fans were enjoying the game, the players were ready to compete, and all were about to hear the national anthem. But then, something unexpected happened. A bald eagle flew onto a pitcher during the baseball game!

Challenger the Eagle Landed on a Player!

The plan was for a bald eagle to fly over the stadium and land on its handler’s arm. The event was at the Target Field in Minnesota. However, he decided to change his course and find a new perch. The ‘bird of freedom’ swooped down and landed on the back of James Paxton, the Mariners’ starting pitcher, who was standing in the outfield with his teammates.

Paxton took it all in stride. He kept calm and composed, even though the eagle was definitely hurting him as it dug its talons into his shoulder. The only emotion he showed? A bemused expression. The eagle’s handler quickly ran over and retrieved the bird while Paxton walked back to the mound.

The eagle, whose name is Challenger, is a trained and experienced bird that has performed at many sporting events and ceremonies. Despite his little excursion onto the back of James Paxton, he is still remembered to this day.

We can’t be sure, but Challenger’s handlers said he was confused by the strong wind and the bright sun that day. He likely mistook Paxton for his handler, who was wearing a similar uniform. Or, in a more fun theory, Challenger is just a huge Mariners fan! Bald eagles apparently love baseball.

Are Eagles Dangerous to Humans?

Eagles like Challenger aren’t really dangerous to humans. They have the capability to hurt a human, but in most situations, they aren’t going to get anywhere near enough to a human to cause any problems. Still, that doesn’t mean that they never hurt humans.

Even in the case of Challenger, eagles’ talons are so strong that just landing on someone is enough to break the skin and cause some damage. Thankfully, it didn’t look like anyone was seriously hurt. In fact, most of the time, it’s humans (and our infrastructure) that cause the most damage to eagles, not the other way around.

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