To sit there and deny that such an attack could occur is an absolute disservice to those with small pets who might otherwise take the situation more seriously and carefully monitor their pet’s activity while outdoors. Whether a raptor could carry off an animal over a certain weight is really somewhat irrelevant considering that they could still kill or seriously injure such an animal regardless. I have always been a great admirer of birds in general, including raptors, but spreading lies to instill a false sense of security in the public is morally wrong. A raptor is a very powerful animal which is capable of killing a wide range of prey despite its low weight. Click here for more.įolks here remind me of the pitbull lovers who try to deny the damage that these animals cause, despite mountains of evidence to the contrary. Appreciate their beauty, and their value to our earth.”Īll photos courtesy of Raptor Rehabilitation of Kentucky. “If you harm one or threaten one in any manner, you are subject to a fine and prison term. “All birds of prey are protected by state and federal law,” says Eileen Wicker. If you have a one, be careful and use common sense. This is not to say they might not take a swipe at a very tiny dog. Predators have a hard enough time surviving without having to deal with the fallout from something they’re incapable of even doing. But they were abysmally ignorant, not only of the facts but of the damage that can be done by posting something so stupid. One might say the heart of the person who wrote the flyer was in the right place. Once you watch it, every time someone posts about a murderous hawk carrying off twelve pounds, you’ll be able to set them straight. There’s one more option, if you’d like to combine learning and entertainment: 4) watch this Monty Python clip, which does a fabulous job of explaining exactly what we’re talking about using a coconut, European Swallows, and King Arthur: If you see a flyer such as this and you’re unfamiliar with wildlife, you can 1) believe the hundreds of people who write things like “I know for a fact a Barn Owl can carry off a 3-pound Chihuahua!” (Barn Owls weigh about a pound) 2) access fact-filled sites like the Peregrine Fund or the Cornell Lab of Ornithology or 3) call any raptor rehabilitation center, and whoever answers the phone will tell you that the information on Facebook is bunk. “Please disregard this for the rubbish it is!” “I have been caring for raptors for almost 29 years and not even a Bald Eagle can carry off 12 pounds,” wrote Eileen Wicker, the Executive Director of Raptor Rehabilitation of Kentucky. Wildlife lovers and rehabilitators, as always, tried to intervene. The frustrating responses went like this: “OMG!” “Yikes!” “I had no idea!” “How awful!” The frightening responses went like this: “Just shoot ‘em.” “That’s why we need more trapping.” “I’m going to string wire all across my backyard!” And since these things never really disappear, it’s still out there. One could joke about the squadrons of hawks out patrolling the beaches, or the park rangers suddenly worried about the safety of household pets, but before it was taken down the post had over 108,000 views, 4,200 Likes, and 1,000 comments. THESE ARE THE PETS THAT HAWKS CAN SWOOP DOWN AND GRAB.ĭO NOT LEAVE YOUR PETS OUTSIDE WITHOUT SUPERVISION. THE PETS THAT ARE IN REAL DANGER ARE THE ONES WHO ARE 12 POUNDS AND UNDER. THIS YEAR THE HAWKS REALLY SEEM TO BE OUT IN FORCE OFF THE EAST COAST. PARK RANGERS AND VET OFFICES ARE PUTTING OUT WARNINGS. That did not stop a New Jersey animal shelter from publishing this rabble-rousing flyer on Facebook, all written in alarming red capital letters: The largest hawk in North America (the Ferruginous Hawk) weighs at most four pounds, so leaving the ground carrying three – let alone twelve – would be aerodynamically (not to mention logically) impossible.
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