Sierra Blogging Post Archives

French falconer (and paraglider) Jacque Olivia Travail just gave his 14 year-old captive American Eagle an opportunity every captive eagle dreams of.

Shercane the Eagle, who's never flown freely, just got his chance to do so. He soared, next to Travail who was paragliding, high above Europe's highest mountain, Mont Blanc.



Travail spent a year and a half training the eagle for the spectacular flight and took him on many training flights before the duo was prepared to fly high over Mont Blanc. During the flight the stunningly beautiful eagle stayed close to Travail and even came to rest on his arm at one point. From the video, he looks to be enjoying his freedom. Even if it's a tentative enjoyment.

The falconer said it was hard work for Shercane because the air is so thin up there, “but he enjoyed and we both had a great time together.”

Travail and others hope the flight will convince others that captive eagles always stand a chance at being reintroduced back into the wild... and that they can learn to fly at any age.

Check out video of the flight here.