As if America wasn’t cool enough, it just got cooler. A full fledge balled eagle was filmed going through TSA at the airport before boarding a flight to its destination and it’s something you’ve probably never seen before in your life.
Video footage posted to Twitter by Elijah Burke showed the beautiful creature spreading its wings to show TSA that it didn’t have anything illegal on it as it passed through the security check like everyone else traveling that day.
As Elijah filmed the video he said with pride, “America… Heck Yeah,” while the bird flapped its wings to prove to TSA that it didn’t have anything on it but the pure essence of freedom.
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
Authorities said the video was filmed at the Charlotte Douglas International Airport in North Carolina and that the bird, named Clark, was from the World Bird Sanctuary.
Clark, taking the day off from flying, decided to “give his wings a break and fly commercial,” TSA Southeast said on Twitter. “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,” the account said in a post, accompanied by a photo of the majestic animal.
According to the post, TSA agents were actually notified that Clark would be allowed to fly and that they were able to search the handler before boarding their flight.
“Mans is out here bringing a bald eagle through TSA,” Elijah said on Twitter.
It’s at each airline’s discretion to decide what animals are permitted to fly with passengers in the cabin, according to the FAA’s website.
According to World Bird Sanctuary, Clark was hatched at the Missouri-based World Bird Sanctuary nature preserve when they were breeding the then-endangered Bald Eagle for release into the wild.
The nature reserve said that Clark was born with a scale deformity on his feet, which would make him prone to frostbite and toe loss in the winters. The World Bird Sanctuary decided the best thing to do is keep him and train him as a career flying ambassador for the sanctuary.