For weeks, a hawk has been terrorizing residents of the tiny English village of Flamstead. The bird-of-prey is blamed for more than 50 violet attacks that sent one man to the hospital, brought a halt to the Royal Mail, and led many citizens to wear helmets when out and about. Watch video below of the bird dive-bombing a young man and stealing his hat.
A fellow finally managed to trap the bird in his garden. Coincidentally (or perhaps not), the man who finally caught the animal—known as a Harris's hawk—is named Steve Harris. He was assisted by a local falconer.
From BBC News:
"It had been chasing me around the village when I went for a run, and when I got back it flew down to the top of my shed.
"The falconer had left me a cage. I was using it to protect myself and I got brave enough when the bird was about a foot away, and I threw it over the top of it, trapping it[…]
Fellow falconer Wayne is now caring for the hawk, which is a non-native South American species.
Wayne, who declined to give his last name, said the hawk had been raised in captivity and the dried-out leather tags on its feet suggested "he's been loose for over a year".
Previously:
• Video: Peregrine falcons can fly at more than 200 miles per hour
• Incredible footage of an osprey snatching a barracuda in water and flying off with it
