It’s not every day that a bald eagle shows up at airport security. Travelers were in for quite the treat when an usual passenger joined the security line at a North Carolina airport.
Clark, a 19-year-old bald eagle, had to line up with everyone else at the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) checkpoint at Charlotte Douglas International Airport. He was in the airport catching a flight to return to the World Bird Sanctuary in St. Louis, Missouri. Handler Daniel Cone was escorting the bird to his destination.
TSA Southeast couldn’t help but snap a terrifying photo of the bird shared in a post on Twitter. The caption read: “TSA officers are used to seeing an eagle on their uniform as they look over their shoulder, but I’m sure the team at @CLTAirport Checkpoint A did a double take when they saw a real one earlier this week.
“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.”
Clark was in North Carolina to make an appearance at High Point University’s Convocation Ceremony. Cone said the bird of prey attends this ceremony every year and he often prefers flights on Southwest Airlines planes.
“He flies for High Point University’s graduation ceremony, incoming freshman ceremony and Veteran’s Day ceremony every year. It’s a great experience,” Cone said.
Source: https://twitter.com/TSA_Southeast/status/1562831095397175296