A hawk that has been terrorising and attacking locals in a village has finally been caught.
The problem got so out of hand at one point in Flamstead, Hertfordshire, that a pensioner was taken to hospital.
It was even nicknamed Bomber Harris from villagers, referencing the wartime commander of RAF Bomber Command, Sir Arthur Harris, because of the way it had been ‘bombing down on people’.
At one point, there were delays to postal services in the village thanks to the pesky hawk.
But after weeks of people stepping out of their homes and fearing for their lives, the animal has been captured, with plans to retrain it.
The hawk is believed to be a young male who sneakily escaped from captivity and has a bit of a thing for tall men.
Wayne, 58, was trying to catch the bird for a month and is the man who has taken it in, and is a local falconer so knows his stuff.
He said: ‘He will be trained – he’s not going to be put in a cage.
‘He’s got a pair of wings and he’s proved he can use them.
‘I’m the one that’s been chasing him for four weeks, setting traps – had about six traps running.
‘He was just one step ahead of us all the time. I kept saying his luck’s got to run out eventually – and it did.
‘It was quite intense because of what he was doing – he was hurting people, terrorising a village.
‘It won’t be easy because he’s got to have the right home – someone who’s going to fly him and has the right experience.
‘Some want him caught, some want him shot. He isn’t going to be locked up – he’s going to be flown.’
Villager Steve Harris is the guy who caught the hawk by trapping it in his garden.
He was one of the bird’s favourite targets and he would often get chased at speed during his morning runs.
Speaking about his unusual behaviour, Wayne said: ‘He was nesting so he was probably hormonal, territorial. It could be any one of those things.
‘He’s not nasty at all – you can stroke him, poke him, pick him up, do what you like.
‘He will be calmed down – bring his weight down.
‘At the minute he’s a bit wild because he’s been loose.
‘He’s fat as a barrel – been living off sausages and bacon, what people have been feeding him.
‘They will kill him – they can’t eat pork.’
Authorities are still unsure who owns the bird.
‘We haven’t got a clue and I shouldn’t think anyone is likely to come forward,’ Wayne added.
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