A HAWK that terrorised villagers for weeks went on the attack only because it was hormonal, an expert has claimed.
The Harris’s hawk, whose targets started wearing hard hats for protection, was finally captured on Thursday by the aptly named Simon Harris.
A hawk has attacked dozens in Flamstead, Herts, leaving some woundedStory Picture Agency
He was helped to catch it in his garden by falconer Alan Greenhalgh, who said the bird was unharmed — if tubby from all the food used to try to snare it.
He told the BBC: “This dive-bombing, it’s hormonal, courtship, because it’s only started happening in the last couple of weeks, breeding season.”
The hawk, thought to have been raised in captivity but free for a year, has attacked dozens in Flamstead, Herts, leaving some with bloody head wounds.
It was captured by physiotherapist Mr Harris, 40, when it followed him home on his run and settled on his shed — giving him the chance to throw a cage over it.
It is now being cared for by a falconer pal of Mr Greenhalgh.
He said: “He won’t just be sitting in an aviary, sulking He’s going to be used for flying again.”
A spokesperson for Hertfordshire Constabulary said that while police had not led the response to the attacks, a “low-level presence has been maintained in the area”.
“Rural specialist Special Chief Inspector Steve Meredith has been facilitating communication with expert agencies and local partners to try and bring the situation to a safe conclusion,” the force said.
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