By Tim Binnall
A police officer in Minnesota recently responded to a rather unusual call when he was enlisted to break up a fight between two bald eagles. According to a local media report, the jaw-dropping incident occurred last week in the city of Plymouth as Officer Mitch Martinson was working a traffic detail at the community's high school. The normally routine shift took a strange turn when a concerned resident reported a pair of bald eagles engaged in an epic battle at a nearby intersection. Upon arriving on the scene, Martinson realized that the call was no joke when he saw the two iconic creatures seemingly stuck together.
The cop conceded that the situation was unlike anything he had ever encountered before and he was left scratching his head as to how to break up the fight. "I was trying to go through my head what to do next. And who to call," he said, joking that "we do have de-escalation tactics, but I've never applied them to eagles or other animals." Since the battling birds were unlikely to be swayed by the officer's conflict resolution exercises, Martinson turned to local wildlife experts who might be able to offer some help. While he was awaiting answers, a small crowd of stunned residents began to form around the shocking eagle showdown.
"It's just crazy," marveled observer Todd Burroughs, who lives in the neighborhood, "it's hard to believe it happened right here in the street." Still trying to figure out how to diffuse the fight, Martinson eventually recalled seeing a TV show about such birds and remembered hearing that one can calm down the creatures by covering their heads. However, as the officer bravely began to approach the animals to put the plan into action, the matter resolved itself before his eyes as the eagles disengaged and flew off in different directions. Wildlife experts later said that the fight was likely a territorial dispute between the two birds.