Animal handlers have been left scrambling after West Coast’s live eagle mascot escaped and landed among the crowd during a pre-match flight.
As part of West Coast’s pre-match tradition, ‘Auzzie the Eagle’ did a flight lap of Optus Stadium before Saturday’s AFL clash with St Kilda.
WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Live eagle escapes in AFL pre-game show.
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But after originally returning to his designated landing point in the middle of the oval, the eagle quickly escaped and set about flying to various parts of the 60,000-seat stadium.
The eagle landed among the crowd several times, spending a minute or two in each spot before flying off again.
The ground announcer warned fans not to approach the eagle, given its “sharp talons”.
West Coast CEO Don Pyke, the former Adelaide Crows coach, joined stadium officials in attempting to solve the problem.
The eagle was still flying around when the players from both sides came out on to the ground.
The accompanying fireworks sparked concerns among some fans that the animal could be spooked.
After more than 10 minutes of freedom, the eagle was finally caught after spending several minutes on a railing among the crowd.
West Coast coach Simpson could see the lighter side of the escape.
“He went rogue, Auzzie,” Simpson said with a laugh.
“It was right before the game, so I was trying to get the runner out to tell the lady to just put that thing back in the centre circle — that’s where Auzzie wanted to land.
“But she knew what she was doing eventually and she was in the box next to us.
“Maybe there was a steak that Auzzie could smell in that corporate box next to us.”
– with 7NEWS