Pretty interesting story came across the feed today:

Octopus battles bald eagle

I'm not sure how I feel about the intervention.

If the octopus was grasping any other animal, I would have sat back and watched nature take it's course. Since it was a bald eagle, I think I would have done the same as the guys in the story.

I would have let it happen. It's not like there's a shortage of bald eagles up there.

Those guys f'ed up our chance to see an eagle with eight wings.

fadersup: "Those guys f'ed up our chance to see an eagle with eight wings. "

Or a flying octopus.

No. Absolutely not.In fact, in most places it's illegal to interfere in the normal day-to-day activities of wild life. It's actually qualified as "harassment".

Is it ethical to intervene on behalf of the Eagle's next meal?

butthead

It was in Canadian waters and I really am ashamed I don't know what protection they have Canada wide or Ontario. Just assumed they were protected.

I bet that eagle doesn't bully an octopus again.

I would not have intervened. Let nature take it's course.

Years ago a bald eagle was way up a tree over hanging the water and its leg was tangled up with fish line around its leg and a branch. It was all messed up in fishline. We cut the tree down with a chain saw and as soon as the tree hit the water we grabbed the eagle and cut the line off from the tree and than the eagle. It was in good shape and it took off whenwe let it go.
It would of been a slow death otherwise.

You were brave, clever, and kind. Thank you.

Nice job Pinetree. I understand all that letting nature take its course thing. There are plenty of other things for a octopus to eat. I'll be damned if I'm gonna stand around and let harm come to an eagle or what it stands for. Simple for me. Intervene.

Pinetree: "Years ago a bald eagle was way up a tree over hanging the water and its leg was tangled up with fish line around its leg and a branch. It was all messed up in fishline. We cut the tree down with a chain saw and as soon as the tree hit the water we grabbed the eagle and cut the line off from the tree and than the eagle. It was in good shape and it took off whenwe let it go. It would of been a slow death otherwise."

What about the tree... haha. I’ve watched eagles do the same to a loon and her baby. It’s nature, it’s life... either way I’m ok with whatever. But that was quite an encounter. I’m guessing that octopus eats well.

I have a friend who saw a loon kill young mallards, then, on the same lake, an eagle killed a young loon and something might have gotten the eagle's young. I will have to ask him if I see him.

It's tough world out there. Wild animals rarely die of old age.

Then there are the trillions of tiny predators, e.g. bacteria and viruses, which want to eat us from the inside out.

Jackfish: "If the octopus was grasping any other animal, I would have sat back and watched nature take it's course. Since it was a bald eagle, I think I would have done the same as the guys in the story."

+1

Nope. Everything has to eat something.

I don't think an octopus could eat an eagle. Predators that eat birds pluck them first. Of course, an octopus has a beak, but plucking is not in an octopus's DNA.

I just did a search and learned that not all predators pluck birds before eating them. Some, like domestic and wild cats, will eat small birds whole. Of course, the eagle is a big bird.

I'm of the school that Anthropomorphism has dumbed down too much of human relations with animals.
The OP shows an octopus obtaining food and yes they can eat just about anything they can kill. Saving the Eagle from the dinner plate is no better than saving a Trout from an Eagle and the nymphs/fry a Trout eats.

butthead

I'd let it happen, it's not like eagles are rare. Now if it were a loon in place of the eagle, I would at least think about getting involved.