Salmon Farmers Rescued A Bald Eagle Trapped By An Octopus [Video]

A bald eagle that was caught in a death trap by an octopus was rescued by some salmon farmers off the northwest tip of Canada's Vancouver Island.

The group of salmon farmers was returning to their float house when screeching and splashing sounds coming from nearby caught their attention. Searching for the source of the sound, they came upon the octopus that was trying to drag down a full-sized eagle.

The farmers were unsure whether they should intervene and ended up watching the interaction between the creatures for almost five minutes.

However, the salmon farmers eventually decided to come between the eagle and octopus as they found the whole incident heart-wrenching. After reaching close to the incident, John Illet, one of the salmon farmers, attached a small hook to a pole and reached out to the battling pair.

"I was able to just latch on to the octopus and give it a little tug," Illet told CNN. "It released its grip ... which gave the eagle just enough time to get to shore.”

“We weren't sure exactly how it was going to go down when I tested the pole," he added.

The incident was recorded by Illet’s co-worker. The video has garnered plenty of attention on social media.

Illet, who has been working on the water for about 20 years, rated this incident as the coolest he has ever seen.

"It's moments like this why I love my job and being out in the environment where I can work and live," he told CNN. "It's just amazing."

Bald eagles were removed from the list of endangered and threatened species in 2007 by the U.S. However, they remain protected under the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act, the Migratory Bird Treaty Act and the Lacey Act.