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Video of the Day - Paraglider collides with vulture

by Stephen Greenwood (RSS feed) on Nov 1st 2011 at 3:30PM

It's been a wild month for 'animals vs. adventurers' on Gadling. First, there was the antelope that tackled a cyclist harder than any NFL linebacker could, then there was the kayaker that got up close and personal with a blue whale, and finally, the South African motorcyclist that saved a calf from drowning in a canal.

Today's battle? An incredible video from Russian YouTube user Paravoffka, captured as he was paragliding high above the Indian Himalayas. Midway through his flight, a Himalayan Griffon Vulture became entangled in the slings of the main chute, causing Paravoffka to drop through the air like a rock (with an eagle clawing at it).

Luckily, Paravoffka deployed the emergency chute, which allowed him to regain enough control to crash land in a tree, breaking his fall and eventually allowing him to free the vulture. Incredible footage and a great example of another extreme situation handled well under pressure.

Have you battled any forces of nature recently? We want proof! Submit pictures to our Gadling Flickr Pool and leave video links in the comments section below. It could be our next Photo/Video of the Day!

Filed under: Asia, India, Photo of the Day, Video, Ecotourism, News

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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)

Reggie Wagstaff Nov 1st 2011 6:48PM

I didn't know Russians were so kind to animals. I thought Ivan would eat the damn thing.

Gaza Nov 1st 2011 9:18PM

That would have left the Eagle with a bunch of lines tangled in his wings and talons; have you not seen birds with out feet because they were tangled in fishing line, you are probably a sport fisherman!

Kelly Nov 2nd 2011 1:20PM

I buy almost everything except food and clothing from online auctions.

Most people aren't aware of the almost unbelievable deals that they
can get from online auction sites....

The site that has the best deals is ( http://tinyurl.com/TopDealsOnline )

and I checked with the Better Business Bureau and was told that it is
all legit. How they can sell gift cards, laptops, cameras, and all
kinds of goodies that we all want for 50-90% off, I don't know. I do
know that I bought my son an iPad there for less than $100 and my
husband a $250 Loews gift cards for $48.

Why would I even think about shopping anyplace else?

Dickn2000 Nov 1st 2011 7:52PM

Anybody as dumb as this guy has no business paragliding. He apparently has never heard of a pocket knife with a shroud line cutter. Instead of wasting time picking himself loose line by line he could have been free in seconds with a good pocket knife. The same thing goes for freeing the bird. What a dumbass.

rikkyloo Nov 2nd 2011 4:46AM

While your vocabulary advertises a vast intelligence, I must disagree with your thinking. A pocket knife would surely have been faster, However, by taking his time this gentleman has preserved his rig and avoided costly repair or replacement of his harness. In addition he has released the bird without further injury. A lovely bit of work showing great presence of mind under the circumstances. Your readiness to trash the gear get new suggests an American throw-away mentality and to quote a great thinker, makes you look like a dumb-ass, Dick.

dickn2000 Nov 2nd 2011 12:22PM

@rickyyloo...Thank you for that hateful reply. I will cherish it forever. How much hang gliding have you done? My guess is not much. When a glider like that is wrecked, all damaged parts must be repaired or replaced before it can be certified to fly again.This includes the shroud lines and canopy, which if you watched the video was badly damaged by the bird that flew into it. It was, at that point, essentially a pile of junk. But apparently you are not knowledgeable enough to know that. You have a nice life, and if you are married, I hope your husband find himself a nice mistress that doesn't berate and insult him constantly, as I am sure you do.

jamesgriscom Nov 1st 2011 10:21PM

Lucky guy.
If it'd happened in the USA, let's see,....
$10,000 fine for hurting the vulture
$10,000 fine for hurting trees
$10,000 fine for cursing vulture on air.
Two years probation for unauthorized use of public lands.

Nobby Nov 1st 2011 8:13PM

HOOK KNIFE !?

Nobby Nov 1st 2011 8:17PM

http://www.paragliding-tales-and-reviews.com/paraglider-hook-knife.html

RobbieK Nov 1st 2011 8:46PM

Next time, don't upload such a long azz, large file video that takes forever to load!

Michael Nov 1st 2011 9:09PM

Hope the eagle was OK

Kae Nov 1st 2011 10:08PM

It's amazing how calm the eagle was while he was untangling it. Probably a combination of knowing it couldn't go anywhere, knowing the guy wasn't trying to hurt him/her, and exhaustion. He/she seemed to have no problems taking off or flying, so it's most likely okay with some possible damage to some flight feathers but obviously nothing major...if anything.

Kae Nov 1st 2011 10:14PM

**Vulture**...not too sure why I wrote "eagle"

k-bob Nov 1st 2011 10:01PM

I'm no expert, but I have at least trained myself to remember always to ask first, "Is it fake?" Or at least staged. The birds seem somehow unnatural. I haven't parachuted for forty years, but I am sure the cutaway mechanism is automatic and certainly would not require cutting the lines one at a time with a knife. There are just too many melodramatic moments that just "happen" to be captured perfectly by the apparently all knowing video camera. Pointing forward to catch the birds and human meeting head on but no one avoiding the collision, pointing up to show the shriveled canopy, pointing down to pick up the drama of the ground rush before the reserve parachute is opened. The whole thing has an aura of convenience that I associate with fake videos.

Kae Nov 1st 2011 10:14PM

I understand your suspicions, especially with videos nowadays, but this type of collision with an vulture would be extremely hard and most likely impossible to stage. Many paragliders/extreme athletes tend to record their adventures to look at/share later and it seems the camera was looking where the extremely worried paraglider would be looking at those particular times. This vulture was definitely a wild animal and acted as such. Thank goodness neither of them were harmed.

Kent Wien Nov 2nd 2011 5:48AM

The paragliders I've flown don't have a cutaway feature, other than a hook knife. Some aerobatic pilots use a cutaway system, but this guy was likely a cross country pilot.

As for it being staged, why bother faking this? Imagine the costs involved.

vickie Nov 1st 2011 10:43PM

amazing the vulture put its head down and let the guy take that rope off of him..he knew he was helping him...They are both alive because of the man kept a cool head the whole time....

m Nov 2nd 2011 6:43AM

What a completely stupid asshole this guy is.

SkydiverFL Nov 2nd 2011 8:48AM

Jackass. He was so worried about his main, and playing with his radio, that he had no concern for his safety or the health of the bird. It took him almost 10 minutes to release the bird and THAT seemed like it was out of boredom. I assume, with all of his toys, that he had a knife. He could have cut his main away to prevent it from tangling with his reserve or affecting his landing. He ALSO could have cut away his lines from the bird instead of yanking on it.