Birds of prey a fresh challenge for Beijing

陈小将

Zhou Lei (left), a rehabilitator from the Beijing Raptor Rescue Center, and Dai Chang, examine the wing of a vulture rescued in December. [Photo provided to China Daily]

Not long after sunrise, a group of crows encircled a Northern eagle owl that had been hovering for a lengthy period over Houhai Lake in downtown Beijing.

The exhausted eagle owl eventually dropped into the water. The bird flapped its wings and struggled to stay afloat as it tried to protect itself from the crows that appeared ready to attack.

A passerby, who had gone to the lake for breakfast, noticed the distressed eagle owl's predicament.

He parked his electric bicycle, and tried to rescue the bird. Concerned onlookers told him he should be wearing gloves to protect against the eagle owl's sharp talons. Others fetched brooms to aid the rescue effort.

Luckily, the eagle owl managed to reach the shore and was able to latch onto a broom extended by an onlooker. In the afternoon, the bird was sent to the Beijing Raptor Rescue Center for treatment.

Such life-and-death survival battles in the natural world usually take place in the wilderness. But the March 8 confrontation was filmed in an urban center of the nation's capital, and the unusual setting led to the video being widely circulated online.