My suspicion is that’s what doomed it to extinction. Those pesky humans just have no sense of humor.
> My suspicion is that’s what doomed it to extinction. Those pesky humans just have no sense of humor.
Surprisingly, not quite.
The Haast Eagle lived mostly on a large bird (sorta like a huge ostrich) called a Moa. They were plentiful in New Zealand until the Maori arrived about 900-1200 years ago, depending on whose calculation you use.
New Zealand had few abundant sources of meat, except for Moas and Maori. And so, Maori hunted Moas to extinction about 500 years ago. When the Moas were gone, the Maori became cannibals.
And the Haast Eagle, having run out of food, soon died off.