Dr. Min explained that in extremely rare cases, maternal eagles might take in non-threatening mammals if they perceive them as helpful to their brood. “Mochi may have triggered a caretaking instinct,” she said. “She’s small, calm, and gives warmth to the eaglets.”
Instead of prey, the eagle had adopted her. The emotional scene unfolding above wasn’t an accident — it was a bond. “This is nature rewriting the rules,” Dr. Min added. “It’s a living lesson in interspecies trust.”
The puppy was clean, energetic, and clearly cared for. The eagle had even brought back food — fish scraps and small rodents — not just for her chicks, but seemingly for Mochi too. It was a nurturing scene no one could have imagined.