An incredible display of nature shocked Zachary Hartje while he was photographing foxes on San Juan Island.
A fox kit had happily just catched one of his first ever rabbits and was prancing along the prairie of San Juan Island National Historical Park unaware that a bald eagle was eyeing his prize.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BjB60uMgZwc/?taken-by=zachary_hartje
Suddenly the canine predator became the prey as the eagle swoops down to grab the rabbit. Both the rabbit and the fox are lifted into the air by the powerful bird. The fox doesn’t let go at first and is kicking and flailing in the air until he finally lets go.
The dramatic moment was caught on film.
Press the image below to play the video.
“I was totally shocked,” Hartje told ABC. “No one I had ever talked to had ever seen anything like that.”
“It was a baby fox, so it might’ve been its first kill,” he added. “The fox just ran away into the den after. It looked pretty scared.”
Another photographer, Kevin Ebi, was also there to watch the fox kits and snapped photos of their mid-air struggle.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BjDV6RugG1r/?taken-by=livingwilderness
Another photographer, Kevin Ebi, was also there to watch the fox kits. “When I heard the bald eagle calling, I knew exactly what was going to happen,” Ebi said, who posted his photos to his blog, LivingWilderness.com. “I knew it wanted that rabbit.”
“After I saw the eagle finally drop the fox … I thought, ‘This is one of the most incredible things I’ve ever seen.’”
Disclosure: This post may include affiliate links.