A hawk which terrorised a Home Counties village by swooping on residents has been nicknamed Bomber Harris after being caught, its new handler has said.
The Harris’s hawk – which left at least one man needing hospital treatment in Flamstead, Hertfordshire – was finally captured on Thursday after weeks of attacks that left residents fearful.
The bird is set to be retrained and flown again.
Wayne, 58, a local falconer who has taken the bird in and did not want to give his surname, told the PA news agency: “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.”
The bird earned the nickname 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”.
Wayne, who has been trying to catch the hawk for a month, said: “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.”
The hawk was eventually caught by local resident Steve Harris, who managed to trap it in his garden after it had repeatedly chased him during his morning runs.
Wayne, who lives in a nearby village and was called in by Mr Harris after the capture, is now caring for the animal at his home and hopes to find it a new place to live.
“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,” he said.
“Some want him caught, some want him shot. He isn’t going to be locked up – he’s going to be flown.”
The hawk, thought to be a young male, is believed to have escaped from captivity some time ago.
It has leather tags on its legs and has been seen swooping on dozens of people in recent weeks.
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 said.
The bird’s aggressive behaviour led to injuries to several villagers, including one elderly man who was treated in hospital, and even caused disruption to local postal services.
