Chamonix: Victor the eagle, witness of climate change

Victor, a nine-year-old white-tailed eagle, has been enlisted to raise awareness of climate change by recording spectacular images as he soars over the peaks of his Alpine home hit hard by the rise in global temperatures.

Equipped with a 360-degree camera mounted on his back, Victor recorded a bird's eye view of the Mont Blanc range as he flew four kilometres on Tuesday (October 8), taking off from the Plan de l'Aiguille de Midi at an altitude of 2,000 metres.

Whilst white-tailed eagles are listed as "least concern" on the IUCN list of endangered species, the western European population is sparse. Their survival depends on water resources, which glaciers provide, according to Eagle Wings.

Researchers say Alpine glaciers are melting at an alarming rate with before and after photographs showing them retreating up valleys over the last century.

According to a study published in August, France's largest — the Mer de Glace and the Argentiere —have lost a third and a quarter of their thickness respectively since the start of the 20th century and could disappear entirely by the end of the 21st.