Scientists in Russia got a when their phone bill arrived. The bill was a lot than they expected it to be. The was because the steppe eagle they were following in their flew too far from Russia. The scientists were tracking the eagle as it migrated across the European and Asian . The bird had SMS transmitters fitted to its . This meant that when it flew outside Russia, the transmitters used the Internet of other countries. The scientists thus had to pay roaming charges. These are the you pay to use your mobile phone in other countries. The research team ran out of after the eagle flew to Iran and Pakistan.
The team started a on a crowdfunding site to help raise money to pay the . The page was called "Top up the eagle's ". Bird lovers from around the world contributed money to the page. The scientists raised $1,600 to pay the bill. Russia's mobile phone Megafon then heard of the scientists' and offered to cancel the . It also moved the team's phone to one at a cheaper rate. The problem for the team started when the eagle flew outside of Russia and Kazakhstan. An SMS in Kazakhstan cost 30 US cents, but one from Iran cost 50 cents. A said he wanted the eagle to continue sending SMS data to help his , which will help protect steppe eagles.
