Hawk That Terrorized Village for Weeks Captured

A hawk that had been terrorizing residents of a quiet English village for weeks was finally captured—not by one of more than 20 falconers that descended on Flamstead, but by a physiotherapist. Steve Harris, 40, tells the Telegraph that the bird stalked him when he went out for a run on Thursday. After it landed on his shed when he got home, he threw a cage over the hawk and local falconer Alan Greenhalgh helped him secure it. The hawk had been attacking people in the Hertfordshire village since early March in what the Telegraph calls a "bloody reign of terror." The Royal Mail had stopped making deliveries in the area and residents had been afraid to leave their homes without wearing hats or carrying an umbrella.

The BBC reports that Harris shares a name with the bird—a Harris' hawk, a non-native bird with a range that extends from southern Texas to Argentina. Greenhalgh says the hawk is a "hormonal" young male, which might explain the attacks. He says the bird was "fat as a barrel" after taking food from traps. "Another local falconer who identified himself only as Wayne says the bird was apparently raised in captivity but the dried-out leather tags on his feet suggest he's been on the loose for more than a year. Residents say they were worried that the bird would be shot as the attacks escalated. More than 500 residents signed a petition urging the local council not to kill the hawk, which will now be retrained, the Telegraph reports.

Jim Hewitt, 75, was hospitalized on Wednesday after the bird attacked him with his talons, leaving blood streaming down his face, as he walked to the shop for milk. "The sensible thing was to drive to the shop, but I won't get beaten by a poxy bird," he says. Harris tells the Guardian that his two children had been unable to play in the garden for weeks. "We've all just wanted to get it caught. I think I'll be able to keep my wallet in my pocket next time I go to the pub," he says. Local handyman Paul Boyes, who was attacked twice, agrees. "I think the reaction for most people is that the guy that caught it should be given the freedom of the village," he says, adding, "Everybody's over the moon that he hasn't been shot." (More hawk stories.)