Dubai: Get ready for a bird's eye view! In an effort to spread the word about eagle conservation, a world record was set in Dubai for the "highest recorded bird flight from a man-made structure''. Charity group Freedom Conservation and an imperial eagle called Darshan together achieved this new world record.
The flight was from the top of the Burj Khalifa in Dubai (tallest building in the world) which stands at a height of 2722 feet . A Sony Action Cam Mini (weighing about 300g) was strapped onto the eagle Darshan as it swooped 2722 feet (830 metres) from the top of Burj Khalifa.
During its flight it captured phenomenal views of the city before landing on the arm of its trainer, falconer Jacques-Olivier Travers.
As the bird landed onto his arm, Jacques punched the air with joy before and described the flight as 'perfect'.
He said: 'This was an incredible challenge and the most difficult of my career.
'Not only is this the highest vertical flight that has ever been done, but the eagle also had to fly in a totally different environment, with strong wind disturbances caused by the skyscrapers.
'This flight will create huge possibilities for future conservation programs.'
The charity Freedom Conservation works in collaboration with a leading conservation initiative, SOS (Save our Species) and UNESCO to raise awareness of the plight of threatened wildlife, many of which are recorded on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.
