Why a bald eagle was seen traveling through a North Carolina airport this week

Coach Daniel Cone has flown so usually with unique animals that he would not suppose a lot of it. Although a bald eagle sighting at a North Carolina airport turned heads this week, with video from the safety checkpoint going viral.

“Any time you are working with an unique animal like a bald eagle you are going to draw extra consideration,” Cone, the assistant director of the St. Louis-based World Chicken Sanctuary, advised ABC Information. “I’ve traveled with this eagle so many occasions I do not even suppose twice about it anymore.”

The surprising visitor — a 19-year-old raptor named Clark — was captured by a fellow traveler going via airport safety on Monday on the Charlotte Douglas Worldwide Airport.

“Mans is out right here bringing a bald eagle via TSA at CLT Douglas,” Elijah Burke tweeted.

TSA spotlighted the head-turning passenger on Thursday.

“TSA officers are used to seeing an eagle on their uniform as they give the impression of being over their shoulder, however I am positive the staff at @CLTAirport Checkpoint A did a double take once they noticed an actual one earlier this week,” Mark Howell, the spokesperson for the TSA Southeast area, wrote on Twitter.

Clark flies between 5 and 7 occasions a 12 months, stated Cone, who was captured within the pictures and photographs from the airport holding the practically 8-pound fowl.

On this occasion, they have been touring on Southwest Airways again dwelling to St. Louis after serving to welcome new freshmen at Excessive Level College. Clark has been coming to the college for over a decade and can be a daily at its Veterans Day ceremony and commencement, Cone stated.

The sanctuary’s trainers usually are taken to a again room whereas going via safety with their animals for extra privateness, although on this case they have been “a bit bit extra out within the open,” Cone stated.

“We do not thoughts. Clark would not thoughts definitely,” Cone stated. “He is a ham. He eats it up.”

Howell advised ABC Information that it is the airways’ discretion in terms of what animals they’re going to enable on industrial flights.

The airline notified TSA that the bald eagle could be touring via on Monday, so it may very well be ready to conduct the screening.

TSA brokers introduced the fowl to a separate lane, the place it was faraway from its provider for the screening earlier than being returned, Howell stated. Passengers have been diverted to a special lane, he stated.

“Folks most likely might have gotten spooked by that,” he stated. “We did not wish to scare anybody contained in the checkpoint.”

Clark is educated to unfold its wings open and was “exhibiting off a bit” in the course of the screening, Howell stated.

Cone stated he at all times flies Southwest with Clark and the sanctuary’s different bald eagles. They’ve a custom-made provider for the birds that matches within the bulkhead of the cabin. Clark tends to get essentially the most airtime, although Cone stated he not too long ago flew out with a male endangered Egyptian vulture in order that it might breed on the San Diego Zoo.

Different distinctive animals that Howell and his TSA colleagues recall going via airport safety lately embrace child penguins with a zoo, child cougars and a long-feathered hen that was dyed pink, Howell stated.

“It isn’t a day by day prevalence,” he stated. “It boils all the way down to if the airline is OK with it.”