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Animal watchers are left to scramble after that West coastThe live eagle mascot escaped and landed in the crowd during a pre-match flight.
As part of West Coast’s pre-match tradition, the Eagle Eagle took a flying tour of Optus Stadium ahead of Saturday’s AFL clash with St Kilda.
WATCH VIDEO ABOVE: Eagle escape live on AFL pre-match show.
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But after initially returning to its designated landing spot in the middle of the oval, the eagle quickly escaped and took to flying to different parts of the 60,000-seat stadium.
The eagle landed in the crowd several times, spending a minute or two in each spot before taking off again.
The ground spokesman warned fans not to approach the eagle due to its “sharp talons”.
West Coast chief executive Don Pike, the former Adelaide Crows coach, has joined stadium officials in trying to resolve the issue.
The eagle was still flying around when the players from both sides landed on the ground.
The accompanying fireworks sparked concerns among some fans that the animal might be spooked.
After more than 10 minutes of freedom, the eagle was finally captured after spending several minutes on a railing in the crowd.
West Coast coach Simpson could see the lighter side of the escape.
“He went rogue, Ozzy,” Simpson said with a laugh.
“It was right before the game, so I was trying to get the runner to tell the lady to just put that thing back in the center circle — that’s where Ozzy wanted to land.
“But in the end she knew what she was doing and she was in the box next to us.
“Maybe there was a steak that Ozzy could smell in that corporate box next to us.”
– with 7NEWS
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