A photograph of a bald eagle attacking a Canadian goose has found itself at the centre of the latest US-Canada political spat, but there is a rather awkward detail missing from the White House version.
The image, shared by the Trump White House on social media during a period of heightened tensions between Washington and Ottawa, appeared to show the American bald eagle firmly dominating the Canadian goose.
Quite the metaphor. Except the full story of the encounter had a very different ending.
According to The Times of India, the original footage shows that after around 20 minutes of aerial combat on the ice, the goose fought back and the bald eagle eventually abandoned the attack and flew away.
And the photographer behind the extraordinary encounter is a Goan immigrant living in Canada.
Who took the American eagle and Canadian goose photograph?
The dramatic wildlife encounter was captured by Mervyn Sequeira, a Goan immigrant who developed a passion for wildlife photography after moving to Canada.
Sequeira photographed the encounter on February 23, 2025, in Burlington, Ontario.
He watched as the bald eagle repeatedly attacked the goose, turning what might initially have looked like a quick predator-versus-prey encounter into a prolonged struggle.
Speaking to Global News, Sequeira described the scene as “ballet on ice”, although there was obviously nothing particularly graceful about the life-and-death battle.
What happened between the bald eagle and Canadian goose?
The White House image appeared to tell a very simple story: the bald eagle had the Canadian goose completely under control.
But Sequeira's original footage tells the rather more complicated version.
The two birds continued fighting for roughly 20 minutes. Eventually, the goose managed to fight back and the bald eagle gave up and flew away.
Sequeira said he preferred to view the incident from “the naturalist point of view”, rather than attaching a political interpretation to what was essentially an extraordinary wildlife encounter. The internet, naturally, had other plans.
Why did the White House share the eagle and goose image?
The photograph was used by the White House as a political message during the latest US-Canada trade tensions.
