At the top of every Alaska-bound tourist’s wish list is the chance to see a bald eagle in the wild. But as the latest mini-doc from CNN’s Great Big Story reveals, to the residents of a small Alaskan town called Unalaska, the birds are as plentiful, and as much a pest, as pigeons are in New York.
There’s not much the local residents can do about the problem, however, since the birds are protected by the Bald Eagle Protection Act of 1940. And unlike pigeons, bald eagles are massive, with sharp beaks and claws, and a predisposition to fight back when their food or offspring are being threatened.
So the those living in and around Unalaska, and neighbouring Dutch Harbour, have just learned to live with their uninvited guests. For the most part that includes avoiding areas where the eagles have established nests (which unfortunately is usually around the local post office) and never leaving giant crates of fish in the back of your pickup truck when you run into a store — because it won’t be there when you get back.
[YouTube]