Gympie targeted by wedge-tailed eagles stealing pets | Video

Property owners in the Gympie region are reporting ‘particularly aggressive’ wedge-tailed eagles targeting their livestock and pets, including one that made off with a family’s beloved pet duck, Daryl. Watch the video:

When it comes to hunting down their prey, Australia’s wedge-tailed eagles will tackle just about anything, and have been known to fly off with animals as big as calves.

A number of Gympie region residents have revealed incidents recently involving their pets and livestock, some saying it is just part of nature and “farm life”, while others getting fed-up with the repeated attacks.

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Green’s Creek property owner Chris Chapman has lost three guinea fowl, two chickens and one “Daryl the duck” to a wedge-tailed eagle in the past few days.

“A wedge-tailed eagle took Daryl, one of our ducks, out of our dam and was sprung feeding on him,” Mr Chapman said.

“The next day, two chooks went missing and obviously the eagle had got them as well.

“They just seem to be a little bit more eager at the moment to hunt.”

Daryl the duck is one of the local pets to become eagle’s prey in the last month.

Mr Chapman said after living in the Gympie region for nearly five years, it was the first time the family had lost poultry to the eagles.

“We are animal lovers and they’re all part of the family, but it is what it is, so poor old Daryl is gone,” he said.

“They’re a magnificent creature so you can’t really blame them; that’s just the way it is. They just seem to be a little bit more aggressive at the moment.”

Chris Chapman is an animal lover and was sad to see one of his pets killed by an eagle on his property.

Mr Chapman said his animals would now be in “lockdown” while they wait for the eagles to move on.

“They are beautiful birds but relentless predators,” he said.

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Other Gympie region residents reported similar incidents in their backyards, with one woman, Donagh Archer, saying she saw them nesting from her veranda.

“The last two weekends we have seen them take a possum and large lizard back to the nest,” Ms Archer said.

Photo taken by Donagh Archer of an eagle with a possum in its grasp.

“Over the years we have seen numerous animals taken back to the nest for them to feed on, or to their young; mostly hares, possum, lizards, goannas and a good few snakes as well as cattle egrets.”

Ms Archer said some farmers leave food for them as “easy pickings” such as hares and carcasses to divert their attention from the pets.

“I haven’t tried it myself but apparently it works,” she said.