Web of Life

When the child was on the beach with his mother an eagle which was flying overhead had suddenly swooped and carried him with its claws. The mother, chasing after the bird had hit the bird with all her might with a stick before the bird could fly more than a yard above her. Fortunately the eagle had dropped the child near a culvert close to the sea coast. The child had only minor injuries caused by the birds claws. He was admitted to Beruwala hospital for treatment.

The victim is Dimuthu Madhushanka de Silva who is the only child of H. Dhammika de Silva (31) and P. H. Namali (24) of Ambalappola, Beruwala.

Namali narrated how she brought that moment of agony to one of joy. "We are living in a house on the beach. My husband is a fisherman. Tuesday morning my son went to the beach to fly a kite. I too went with him to collect firewood. All of a sudden a giant bird swooped and snatched my son. Having nothing else in my hand, I hit the bird with a stick I had with me. The eagle dropped my son and he fell into a pit near a culvert. My son would have fallen into the sea if the bird had carried him a little further".

She said that she had never seen such a bird even in the zoo. "It's wing span is about eight feet. It was a white bird with brown marks with spots". She said the child was still scared to come back home. The child is staying in a house belonging to a relative.

OIC Beruwala police station Abeyratne Dissanayake had recorded statements of a number of persons who had witnessed the incident.