BABY-EATING DEATH OWL ON LOOSE IN PORTSMOUTH!

A GIANT owl that can snatch dogs, cats or even BABIES is bringing terror to the skies ABOVE...HAMPSHIRE!

The monster one-stone eagle owl, with a wingspan of 6ft, is one of the fiercest predators in the bird world and is on the hunting over the town of Waterlooville near Portsmouth.

Resident Peter Beasley and daughter Vanessa got a shock when the bird – named Big Mama – swooped within inches of them as it hunted its prey.

The 70-year-old said: “I looked up and it was looking at me from a roof. It was enormous.

“My daughter came out with her camera and it swooped down and just missed her head as it went after a pigeon. It’s certainly a big beast.

“All the other birds around here were very disturbed.”

Vanessa, 40, added: “I was a bit shocked when I saw it.

“It’s not an everyday thing. I couldn’t get over the size of it.

“It made me a bit wary of putting my baby in the garden.”

Keith Betton, county bird recorder for the Hampshire Ornithological Society, said: “The only ones found in Britain are birds that have escaped from captivity. They are extremely fierce in the bird world.”

Owner Ian Payne, 45, said: “I got into the aviary and before I could get the chance to put the bolt on, she flew towards the door and flew straight out. It’s a one-off.”

He added the bird would not have been dangerous to people as it was used to being handled by humans.

It is not native to Britain and normally lives in the wild in rocky landscapes like the Pyrenees or Alps.