The images, which were published recently in the Journal of Raptor Research and by the Wildlife Conservation Society, are the first documented photographs of a golden eagle preying upon a sika deer. Up until now, it was a matter of debate whether or not the raptors preyed upon the medium-sized Asian deer.

"I've been assessing deer causes of death in Russia for 18 years—this is the first time I've seen anything like this," said wildlife biologist Linda Kerley of the London Zoological Society. Kerley authored a paper on the find with her colleague, Jonathan Slaght, a conservation biologist with the WCS.