Dogs wear body armour to stop eagle attacks
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The reading
Dog owners in Alaska and Canada are buying special vests for their pets. The vests are to protect the pets from attacks by bald eagles. In recent weeks, a number of pet dogs have been taken away by the birds of prey. The number of bald eagles has risen greatly in Alaska. There have been many conservation efforts, which has seen the bald eagle population increase. Conservationists estimate there are now around 30,000 of the eagles in Alaska. While bird lovers are happy about this, pet owners are worried. The eagles have a 2.4-metre wingspan. They are strong enough to pick up and fly away with a 6-kilogram animal. The eagles are already a nuisance for farmers as they are killing chickens.
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The special vest that pet owners are buying is called the CoyoteVest. It is a protective jacket that was designed to protect small dogs from coyotes. A coyote is a wild dog that is similar to a wolf. It is common across North America. The CoyoteVest has a variety of spikes and other sharp things on it to protect the pet. Some of the vests have brightly coloured whiskers that are meant to scare birds away. It is made of a material called Kevlar, which is used in bulletproof vests. The Kevlar protects a small dog from the teeth of a larger dog. The CoyoteVest company said its vest helps to, "slow down or prevent a surprise attack and give you enough time to react before serious injury occurs" to a pet.
Sources:
- https://vancouversun.com/news/local-news/coyote-vests-a-trend-among-small-dog-owners-in-vancouver
- https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9580945/Pet-owners-putting-dogs-cats-spiked-body-armour-protect-bald-eagles.html
- https://people.com/pets/coyote-vest-for-dogs/
