We know they have been doing it for a long time, thanks to the work of paleoanthropologist Lee Berger (see here).

Art by Darren Naish.

The historical record is filled with cases. Take this one from over 130 years ago:

Reno Evening Gazette
Reno, Nevada

August 26, 1881

The Bald-Headed Eagle and the Baby.

Toronto Globe.

A bald-headed eagle hovering over St. John’s Island [now known as Prince Edward Island, Canada] suddenly swooped down and attempted to carry off a two-year-old child of Mr. Clancy’s that was playing in the field alone. The light clothing gave way with every tug of the voracious bird and torn into ribbons. Some men working near by came up in time to save the child from injury, but the eagle refused to go away until shot at.

{End of 1881 article}

The appearance of the condor (a vulture) vs the eagle carrying away prey is to be found in the Tintin series.

Tintin was influenced by Herge’s friend, Bernard Heuvelmans and his well-documented reports of eagles carrying off children in the Alps and elsewhere in Europe.

(For more on this cryptozoological topic, in French, see here.)

The YouTube of the golden eagle “lifting up a baby” was admitted to be a hoax on December 19th.

On Wednesday, the Montreal-based Centre NAD posted a blog owning up to the fact that the video was the work of several students in the school’s 3D Animation and Digital Design program.

“Both the eagle and the kid were created in 3D animation and integrated into the film afterwards,” the school wrote, citing Normand Archambault, Loic Mireault and Felix Marquis-Poulin as the student masterminds behind the clip.

“The production simulation workshop class, offered in fifth semester, aims to produce creative projects according to industry production and quality standards,” the blog added. Source.

Thanks to Jerome Clark for sending the 1881 article to me, first shared here long ago.