Eagle big enough to snatch a dog on the loose in Kent

Bird with a wingspan of 9ft is believed to be flying around Kent after it escaped from a midday show in Dartford

3:19PM GMT 15 Feb 2016

A huge hunting eagle capable of carrying off an adult dog in its massive talons is on the loose in Kent.

Rex the Steller's sea eagle, who went missing after a birds of prey demonstration, has a wingspan of 9ft and is considered the most aggressive of its kind - and is easily capable of killing a Jack Russell.

The king of the skies can carry off prey weighing up to 13lbs, the weight of an adult Shih Tzu, a miniature poodle, or an Italian Greyhound and should not be approached.

Home to far eastern Russia, the eagle usually feasts on wild salmon, but is more than partial to pets and wild birds, which it dives down upon and clutches with its powerful talons.

In the wild some Steller's have been recorded preying on young seals weighing more than 18lbs.

The huge bird, which makes a deep barking cry when aggressive, is believed to be flying around Kent after it escaped from a midday show in Dartford on Sunday.

Since Rex's disappearance, the Eagle Heights Wildlife Park have been attempting to find him but the transmitter they had hoped to use has failed.

The park, which last heard that Rex was seen on Monday afternoon perched in a tree in Lullingstone, Kent, is appealing to the public for help.

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