Published 11:42 IST, October 3rd 2019
Eagle records Alpine glaciers crumbling due to global warming
A nine-year-old white-tailed eagle named Victor with a camera attached between his wings has flown over the Alpine glaciers and recorded them crumbling
A white-tailed eagle named Victor flies over the Alps and capture once-magnificent Alpine glaciers with the help of a camera attached between his wings. Organizers hope that the spectacular eagle's view footage will jolt the world as it shows how the glaciers have been affected by global warming. The video aims at convincing viewers of the importance of protecting birds and their environment. The freedom Conservation founder Jacques-Olivier Travers reportedly claims that this would be the first time that the world will ride on an eagle's back over such distance and see how he flies.
“Humanity has two dreams: to swim with dolphins and fly with eagles. This is the first time that we’ll really ride on an eagle’s back over such distances and such vistas, and see how he flies. How can you convince people to protect the birds and their environment if you never show them what the birds see?”
Italian glacier on the verge of collapsing
Nine-year-old Victor is also set to fly through Germany, Austria, and Italy and will be reportedly ending his mountain tour in France on October 07. The eagle will be supposedly starting on October 03 from the top of the Swiss mountain Piz Corvatsch with a 360-degree camera on his back and a GPS to track his progress. Victor has earlier taken flights over Paris and Burj Khalifa and has captured millions of views, however, the organizers claim that because they don't have a remote control, the eagle can wander off anywhere. Victor's flight comes as Italian authorities are scrambling to respond to reported fears that a large part of an Italian glacier near Mont Blanc is on the verge of collapsing.
Ronald Menzel, the Freedom Conservation Managing Director reportedly says that the rate the planet is warming, it's too late to save the Alp's glaciers. He further believes that Victor's popularity will spur viewers into taking action.
“We hope that once more, people are going to see nature from a totally different perspective and just reconnect to it and realize that wow, it’s actually something that is amazing and that we want to do something to preserve,” he said.
Melting glaciers
A study published on September 13 stated that the largest glacier in the Alps, Aletsch, could completely melt away by the year 2100 if we do nothing to cease the Climate Change. As per ETH technical university in Zurich, using a cutting edge simulation, a group of Swiss researchers showed what will happen to the glacier if the earth continues to get warmer. Until now the tongue of the glacier has melted for about 0.6 miles which are around 11 billion tonnes of ice. Scientists said that the reduction in ice will continue even if the Paris Agreement target of capping global warming at well below 2 degrees Celsius is met.
(With inputs from AP)
Updated 17:53 IST, October 3rd 2019