Clues On How To Tell Eagle-Carrying-Baby Video Is Fake
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- The latest viral video on YouTube has plenty of people talking. The big debate is whether it's real or an elaborate hoax.
Published just a couple days ago, the video's poster claims it's a golden eagle trying to snatch a baby at a park in Montreal.
Just seconds lafter, the eagle drops the little tot, who appears no worse for the where.
So what do you think? A real wildlife encounter or a really good editing job?
We decided to put the video to our own test. So, we had WCCO photojournalist, editor extraordinaire, and outdoor enthusiast Joe Berglove give the video his expert eye.
"There's a couple things wrong with this," he said. "First of all, they've got the species of the bird wrong. It is not a golden eagle."
He said you can see it in the details.
"You can tell by the way the wings, it's not a characteristic of golden eagles," Berglove said.
And what about the child?
"You see the kid, he's let go of the kid, but the kid is still in mid air," he said. "The problem is, they didn't time the drop quite properly."
But could it actually happen in real life?
"This being a sea eagle, I don't think children would be it's main diet," Berglove said.
A couple hours after Joe looked at the video, students at Montreal's 3D technology school came forward to claim responsibility.
They said the video was a project for their 3D animation and digital design class.
Berglove admits, even with its flaws, the kids did a good job with the video.
