Story of the Eagle

This story was shared by one of my colleagues. The eagles' self renewal process is truely amazing.

When an eagle reaches 40 years old, their claws start to age, losing their effectiveness and making it hard for them to catch preys. Its beak is also too long, thickened feathers too heavy for easy flying. The lifespan of an eagle is up to 70 years old. But in order to live this long, it must make the toughest decision at 40.

There are 2 choices, to do nothing and await death or go through a painful period of renewal. For 150 days, it first trains itself to fly beyond the high mountains, build and live in its nest and cease all flying activities. It then begins to knock its beak against the rock till the beak is completely removed. When a new beak is grown, the eagle will use it to remove all its old claws and wait quietly for new ones to be fully grown.

When the new claws are fully-grown, the eagle will use them to remove all its feathers. 5 months later, when its new feathers are fully grown, it will soar again in the sky with renewed strength and live for the next 30 years.