Eagle Grabs Baby: Bird Of Prey Appears To Snatch Toddler [VIDEO]

A Canadian couple appeared to receive the shock of their lives during an otherwise serene family trip to the park. In a video uploaded to Youtube, a French-speaking father records a Golden Eagle circling overhead in a Montreal Park when seemingly out of nowhere, the eagle swoops down and appears to snatch his toddler.

As seen in the video, the mother and child appear to be enjoying a beautiful day outdoors, while the father attempts to document some of the scenery, until the eagle intervenes. The Golden Eagle, a bird of prey with an approximate wingspan of between 6.5 and 7.5 feet, typically preys upon rodents, rabbits, and smaller birds. But it apparently misjudged the toddler when it circled the park, swooping down to grab the child, as it sat just yards away from its mother, before appearing to drop it just seconds later.

The father, Youtube user MrNuclearCat, looked on with amazement at the eagle flying above him, right up until the moment it attempted to steal his child. In the video he tracks the eagle's flight, audibly muttering, "wow" and "qu'est-ce qu'il fait?" ("what's he doing?") right before the eagle descends into the park.

Suddenly, when he realizes the eagle had been aiming for his child, he gasps "oh s--t," while the mother still rummages through a backpack with her back turned to the child. Viewers can't quite see what happens next because the father drops the camera, capturing only the grass underneath his feet as he runs over to his child. The child, who is fortunately dropped by the eagle nearby, cries as his father asks "oh no, ça va?" ("are you okay?")

Some Youtube viewers seemed divided over whether or not the video was authentic, while others pointed out that the child was wearing a monkey hat that might have confused the bird. "That's what happens when you put your kid in a stupid hat with eyes, to make him look like a small animal," wrote Youtube user erictheflea.

"FAKE!" wrote user hardhitter0421. "That Eagle would have torn the meat right off the kids bones if this was real. An Eagles talons grabbing that kid and then being dropping 4ft. would have meant immediate medical emergency attention and possibly a life altering one [sic]."

Do you think the video is real? Disclaimer: The video contains some swear words.