Daisy is shocked, and so are her owners. This Saturday, after a walk in the La Comballaz region, not far from Les Mosses, the dog was frolicking outside while her owners shopped near their chalet, relatively isolated in nature. “We were installing a nest box when we heard the “kaï kaï kaï”, say Roland and Isabelle. We saw a monster thing rushing towards her.” Time to slalom between the fir trees, “that’s when we saw Daisy in the eagle’s claws, already in the air. It was very impressive!”
Its prey seized, the raptor took off and moved away down the slope. “We started shouting, so he let go of her, she was already two or three meters from the ground,” continues Roland. Maybe he was afraid of us? The bird then attempted a second attack, but the dog had already taken refuge in a safe place towards her masters. “It was a hot moment,” says Isabelle. Injured, Daisy was taken to the veterinary emergency room… in Aigle, in fact. She escaped with wounds and bruises. “It was the first time they had seen something like this,” adds his mistress.
Despite a fatal case in Italy in 2023, this remains an extremely rare occurrence. Contacted, wildlife-nature police inspector Michel Perreten confirms that Daisy was lucky. “In nature, dogs are sometimes predators, we must also do preventive work to prevent them from disturbing ecosystems. But sometimes the roles are reversed and they can turn into prey.”
In this case, the hunter could be a young eagle, he suggests. “Those born in spring stay with their parents until winter begins, but then they must find their own territory. Usually, they hunt marmots, hares, young chamois, or feed on carcasses. But in nature, opportunity makes the thief. If he’s young and the winter is harsh, he might be more daring.”
And if the eagle itself only weighs around 5 kg, “its flight power allows it to take off in the direction of the slope, to release its prey a little further away. And its claws can easily pierce even a fox.” Don’t panic, however: as long as you watch your dog when you are in nature, the case should not become widespread, reassures Michel Perreten.
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Territorial but reasonable
If golden eagles were almost extinct at the end of the 19th century, their population is doing rather well today, describes Michel Perreten, although it still appears on the list of potentially threatened species. According to Vogelwarte, there are around 350 couples in the country, including some in the Vaud Pre-Alps, specifies the supervisor.
However, certain specimens stood out when paragliders were attacked in the air, in 2018 and 2024. Passing incidents, reassures Michel Perreten.
