We’ve all seen some weird stuff at the airport, but this is a new one! Folks at Charlotte Douglas International Airport got quite the surprise last week when a massive bald eagle went through the TSA checkpoint.
Clark the eagle, who lives with the World Bird Sanctuary, “decided to give his wings a break and fly commercial,” TSA Southeast tweeted Thursday. The airline flying Clark notified TSA, and the agency was able to screen the eagle and his handler. According to CBS News, Clark was born at the World Bird Sanctuary in 2002. The Missouri-based organization was breeding the then-endangered bald eagles for release into the wild. Clark was unable to be released due to scale deformities on his feet.
The gorgeous and majestic eagle is now a celebrity! Clark is now an ambassador for the sanctuary, according to the organization. In his role, he flies at different venues and events across the U.S. He’s even attended St. Louis Cardinals’ games and a Chicago Bears game.
Video and pictures of Clark are going viral and for good reason. He’s absolutely mesmerizing! And he’s huge! We don’t get to see bald eagles up close normally and seeing the pics and video of Clark is amazing. Such a gorgeous creature! I’ve watched the video a few times just to look at Clark in awe. So cool!
Our special guest was Clark the Eagle with the World Bird Sanctuary, who decided to give his wings a break and fly commercial. His airline notified us and we screened him and his handler. Clark is trained to spread his wings, and even showed off a bit during screening. (2/2) pic.twitter.com/SMkQAo65aQ
— TSA Southeast (@TSA_Southeast) August 25, 2022
Mans is out here bringing a bald eagle through TSA at CLT Douglas 😂🦅 pic.twitter.com/zQm0Mlt620
— Elijah Burke (@ElijahWhosoever) August 22, 2022