Louisiana: Chihuahua survives attack from hawk

LOUISIANA -- Animal Helper posted on Facebook February 4, 2018 ·

A chihuahua we had adopted out was attacked by a hawk today at 1 pm. Their camera caught the edge of the attack. Thankfully the parents were outside with the dogs & were able to save her life.

This happened in Mandeville, LA in St Tammany Parish. BUT this can happen anywhere. It’s more common than we realize. Please share to make others aware.

The dog is okay. She in shock & has cuts from the talons of the hawk.

Texas: Local officer rescues red-tailed hawk from swimming pool

TEXAS -- A juvenile red-tailed hawk that a local police officer rescued over the weekend has already been released back into the wild after a short recuperation.

Officer Tyler Ziegler, a Lacy Lakeview police officer, rescued the injured bird Saturday from a home Peaceful Drive after a caller reported the bird was floating in a swimming pool.

“I got the call and when I pulled up to the house a boy came out with the bird wrapped in a towel, all wet,” Ziegler said.

“I took it into the woods and dried it off, but it acted like it was injured,” Ziegler said.

He took the bird to the Waco animal shelter where staff notified Rachael Sine, a licensed Texas Wildlife Rehabilitator, who could properly care for the bird.

“It’s already gone,” Sine said Tuesday.

“It came in, stayed a couple of days and we released it back into the wild this (Tuesday) morning,” she said.

Sine said she has a menagerie at her home where she cares for any type of wild animal except eagles, she said.

(KWTX - Aug 1, 2017)

North Carolina: Raleigh police help rescue hawk stuck in truck grille

NORTH CAROLINA -- An unlucky hawk got stuck in the grille of a U-Haul truck over the weekend, according to a witness who watched as a Raleigh police officer worked to free the bird.

Leslie Ansley, who posted photos of the hawk rescue on social media, said she pulled over when she saw the hawk stuck in the truck on New Hope Road in Southeast Raleigh Saturday a little after noon.

She said a police officer and an animal control officer were able to get the hawk free. In an interview Monday she said, “I saw this hawk fly away.”

She said she was on her way home Saturday around noon when she saw “a U-Haul with a huge wingspan across the grille.”

In the photo the hawk, most likely a red tail, has it’s legs caught in the grille of the large U-Haul truck.

(News & Observer - May 15, 2017)

Florida: Carlos Garcia, 50, arrested on felony charge for killing hawk

FLORIDA -- An Orange County man told wildlife officials he killed a federally protected hawk because it was attacking his racing pigeons.

Carlos Garcia, 50, was taken into custody Thursday and is charged killing a protected species.

   

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission said crews went to Garcia’s home in the Bithlo area on Jan. 21 after a neighbor said he saw Garcia shoot a hawk with a shotgun.

Wildlife officials said Garcia admitted to them that he used a .410 gauge shotgun to kill the hawk while it was sitting in a tree near his house.

 

Garcia handed over the gun to wildlife officials and led them to where he had dumped the birds' body inside a plastic bag, officials said.

Wildlife officials said the hawk was a red-shouldered hawk, which is a federally protected bird of prey.

People dealing with wildlife and pet issues are asked to contact the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission at: 352-732-1225 or 888-404-3922.

ARREST INFO:
Full Name: Carlos Garcia
Gender: Male
City: Bithlo, Florida
Arrest Age:50
Date:03/23/2017
Arresting Agency: ORANGE COUNTY SHERIFF OFFICE
Charges
#1 KILLING OR WOUNDING PROTECTED SPECIES
STATUTE: 379.411 (THIRD DEGREE FELONY)

(WESH - March 24, 2017)

Mississippi: Injured hawk returned to the wild

MISSISSIPPI -- Hit by a car more than three months ago, an injured hawk was returned to the wild Tuesday morning. The bird of prey was nursed back to health by the animal welfare group, Wild At Heart Rescue.

"You're going to make us look magical," said veterinarian Dr. James Askew as he clutched a red tailed hawk with thick gloves. "That's awesomeness."

What's awesome is the remarkable recovery of this red-tailed hawk. Three months ago, it was found badly injured alongside a busy roadway.

"We're probably going to assume this guy was hit by a car somewhere on Cedar Lake. It did break the bone in its wing, he has a fracture. It was close to the carpus itself, the wrist so to speak," said Dr. Askew.

What followed was weeks of treatment and physical therapy. Once the break healed, the bird needed some help learning to fly again.

"When we got done here, he went to the Jackson Zoo to build up his wings in the flight cage up there," said Jamie Pope, who helped with the hawk’s rehab.

"And you passed flight school. Yeah, we're proud of you!" said the colorful Dr. Askew.

"This guy was a more than 50 percent not going to make it and be released. And because of these two here, Donna and Jamie, they basically said, no, this guy gets the benefit of the doubt. And they put tons and tons of hard work into this bird," the vet explained.

"Every animal is worth it. Especially all birds of prey. There are so few of them, you know. And just driving down the interstate you see so many of them hit by cars and everything," said animal rescuer Donna Saucier.

As news of the hawk spread, nearby office workers came out to watch its flight to freedom. It was bittersweet for those who had a personal stake in helping the bird they nicknamed "Tom A. Hawk."

"It's one of those tearful days, but happy tears you know?" said Saucier, "That they finally go home."

Then came the moment.

"We're going to send him off in that direction," said Dr. Askew, as he released the hawk.

Tom made the long awaited takeoff, then perched about 40 feet up in a tree near the release point. Wild and free once again.

Wild at Heart Rescue has helped more than 150 injured birds over the past year. About 100 of those were healthy enough to return to the wild. Such rescues are costly, and the group is thankful for all donations and volunteers.

(NBC12 - Jan 10, 2017)

Arizona: Hawk traps itself into birdcage after getting inside and killing family's parakeet

ARIZONA -- A hawk killed a Peoria boy’s parakeet and then got stuck in the pet’s cage.

Becky Griefer says she usually keeps her son’s parakeets named PD and Snowy inside but decided to leave their cage on a backyard patio table Monday morning because the weather was nice.

She ran outside to loud banging and realized a hawk had flown into the cage through a small, dime-sized opening.

“I’m telling you, how can a bird like that squeeze in there without popping the door open is just utterly amazing. The bird was flapping around upside down with its foot stuck probably wondering what he got himself into,” said Griefer.

He likely lifted the tiny door, got inside and the door closed behind him.

After finding PD’s body at the bottom of the cage, she quickly grabbed Snowy to safety.

“She got a little beat up,” said Griefer.

The mother then set the hawk free only for the predator to come back nearly 15 minutes later.

“Obviously looking for his easy meal,” she said.

The family who call Snowy “the mean bird that bites” believe she somehow managed to fight off the hawk and survive.

“She’s been through three mates now so she’s a survivor. She’s top dog in the bird world. She’s a pretty strong personality,” she said.

PD’s death has hit 9-year-old CJ Griefer, Becky's son, especially hard.

“I’m very sad. I just wish he could live a lot longer and now he’s in heaven,” said CJ.

The family plans to keep Snowy inside just in case the hawk comes back.

“This is why you keep them inside,” said CJ.

“You’re right, you’re right,” said Griefer.

The family is thinking about getting another parakeet but will first have a small memorial for PD Monday

(AZ Family - November 21, 2016)

South Carolina: POS hawk-killing USC trustee Charles Williams complains that he got bad deal from ‘bird lover’ judge when others who have tortured and killed federally protected animals have had to pay 3x that amount

SOUTH CAROLINA -- POS Orangeburg attorney and University of South Carolina trustee Charles Williams was awarded Quail Unlimited’s Conservationist of the Year in 1995, for his time, energy, and passion for wildlife, but he has now been charged, found guilty, and fined $75,000 for killing hawks.

Williams [has the balls] to appeal his sentence, claiming the judge gave him an excessive fine of $75,000 because she is a “bird lover.”

I would argue that this POS Williams got a sweetheart deal because of who he is. Some poor idiot who did similar would be sitting in a jail cell right now, but a trustee from a university, whose property encompasses more than 1,700 aces (do you know anyone who owns that much land?) and who FOR YEARS TORTURED AND KILLED FEDERALLY PROTECTED WILDLIFE?? This is his pathetic punishment. And yet he has the you-know-whats to dare complain????

Magistrate Judge Shiva Hodges should have disqualified herself before passing sentence in June because she is a self-described “nature lover” who is overly fond of birds, and her impartiality in the matter “might reasonably be questioned,” wrote Williams’ lawyers in an appeal motion.

At that June 6 hearing, Williams, 66, an Orangeburg lawyer, pleaded guilty to trapping and killing seven hawks in violation of the federal Migratory Bird Treaty Act, which protects some 800 birds. He and three employees were charged with killing some 30 hawks; prosecutors dropped other charges against the four.

Evidence in the misdemeanor case showed Williams masterminded a scheme at his Orangeburg plantation to trap and kill hawks that were preying on quails on his property. Plantation owners often regard hawks as pests that destroy quail, competing with the humans, who hunt quail.

“These birds (hawks) were killed in a very inhumane way, often allowed to sit in the cages for days while they suffered,” assistant U.S. Attorney Eric Klumb told Hodges at the hearing.

Klumb asked Hodges to levy a $105,000 fine to send “a strong message” to people like Williams, who carry out systematic programs to trap and kill hawks.

Instead of a $105,000 fine, Hodges gave Williams the $75,000 fine, sentenced him to 50 hours of community service at an avian wildlife center and put him on a one-year hunting ban.

Two of Williams’ employees who pleaded guilty were given light sentences because, Klumb said, “It was (Williams’) program ... It went on for years.”

The government gathered evidence in the case by planting hidden video cameras on Williams’ property.

In his appeal papers, Williams cites a statement Hodges made in open court in which she explained how, while a student at the S.C. Governor’s School for Science and Mathematics, she first saw a red-tail hawk.

“I took an ornithology class with Dr. Bill Alexander, a noted ornithologist and bird photographer,” Hodges said. “His class opened my eyes to a love of birds and a love of nature, and really began to teach me about the circle of life.”

However, Hodges went on to say, “my role as a judge is different than my role as a nature lover.”

“What we do as judges is not judge character, we don’t judge people, but we judge specific offenses, and we try to render a judgment that is appropriate in cases on an individual basis,” she said.

A sentence should not only deter the offender from repeating the crime, but also should “provide general deterrence to others for similar offenses,” she said.

In their appeal, Williams’ lawyers argued Hodges’ statements about her love of birds and nature “clearly show a high degree of favoritism to these birds (red tail hawk) and consequently a high degree of antagonism to conduct such as was at issue ...,” Williams’ brief said.

It is not unusual for state or federal judges to explain their sentences.

In April 2015, for example, U.S. Judge Terry Wooten told courtroom spectators why he was giving former Lexington County Sheriff Jimmy Metts prison when Metts and his attorneys had asked for probation.

“Mr. Metts was the law. He was sheriff. His conduct did not promote respect for the law,” Wooten said. “He violated the public’s trust.”

In an opposing brief in Williams’ case, the U.S. Attorney’s office argued, “Harboring a love of nature should never disqualify a jurist from hearing a case involving wildlife or the environment.

“A defendant in such cases is not entitled to a judge who doesn’t care about the natural world any more than a defendant in any criminal case is entitled to a judge who doesn’t care about victims,” the government’s brief said.

Williams’ brief cited numerous cases where wildlife violators were given lighter fines than Williams.

The “fine (against Williams) imposed here is simply too high by comparison,” Williams’ brief argued.

In its reply, the government cited a South Carolina federal hawk killing case in which, as part of a plea deal, the offender paid $250,000 to Lowcountry animal charities. In Williams’ case, his $75,000 fine for killing the same number of birds will go to the U.S. Department of Interior and be used for wildlife habitat.

So this POS CHARLES WILLIAMS only has to pay $75k for YEARS OF TORTURING AND KILLING FEDERALLY-PROTECTED WILDLIFE when someone else had to pay $250k? Why isn't he expected to pay the same???

Williams’ lawyers, Gedney Howe of Charleston and state Sen. Brad Hutto, also argued the red tail hawk is “neither rare, nor endangered and numbers in the millions.”

But Jim Elliott, executive director of South Carolina’s Avian Conservation Center, which includes the Center for Birds of Prey, said although hawks are numerous, they are part of a fragile global system of wildlife hunters and predators.

“We can’t afford to dismiss any part of the system,” Elliott said Tuesday. “There are millions of fish in the ocean, too, but that doesn’t mean there shouldn’t be laws to protect them. None of it is infinite.”

Judge Michelle Childs will handle the appeal. No date has been set for a hearing. Howe, Hodges and the U.S. Attorney’s office declined comment.

(The State - Aug 9 2016)

Earlier:

• South Carolina: USC trustee Charles Williams cried when he was fined $75,000 for killing MORE THAN 30 federally-protected hawks

New Jersey: Officers rescue red-tailed hawk trapped in owner's home

NEW JERSEY -- Officers from the Parsippany police and animal control departments flew to the rescue Friday morning to rescue a large red-tailed hawk that crashed through a window and became trapped inside a sun room.

According to a police report, Detective Patrick McCarthy, along with patrol officers Matthew McAuliffe, Joseph Chmura and Carlos Silva, responded to a call from a resident of the Wood Glen section off Parsippany Boulevard who reported a large bird had broken into his home.

Arriving at the residence, they found a red-tailed hawk trapped inside the sun room with its talons latched onto a window screen.

Animal Control Officer Amy Warnock also was called to the scene to assist in rescuing the startled raptor, which she estimated had a wingspan of 18 to 24 inches.

"The hawk actually broke through a window," Warnock said. "He was a little freaked out and exhausted from trying to get out."

McAuliffe distracted the hawk with his police wand from outside the sun room while Warnock went inside and was able to safely capture the hawk.

After making sure the hawk was not injured, it was released.

"He hung out for a few minutes, flew into a tree, then he left," said Warnock, who joined the animal control staff two months ago.

"It was not what they expected when they came into work this morning," said police Capt. John Weiners. "They improvised the best they could and, with the assistance of the animal-control officer, they were able to free the hawk without injury."

(Daily Record - July 22, 2016)

South Carolina: USC trustee Charles Williams cried when he was fined $75,000 for killing MORE THAN 30 federally-protected hawks

SOUTH CAROLINA -- University of South Carolina trustee Charles Williams wept Monday after pleading guilty to baiting and trapping red-tailed hawks, then shooting them in a cage.

His tears came before U.S. Magistrate Judge Shiva Hodges fined him $75,000 for trapping and shooting the federally-protected birds. Williams and three associates had agreed to plead guilty to the killings.

“I’m ashamed to be here,” Williams of Orangeburg said as he choked back tears. “I’m sorry. I’m embarrassed for my children, for my friends. I tried to do right all my life and be an example for my children. I love hunting, but that is no excuse.”

Those are crocodile tears. He's bawling because 1-he got caught and 2-the embarrassment he has inflicted on his employer and family

It was one of the largest fines in the nation levied against an individual in years for killing wildlife, according to a list of federal fines for that read in court.

Evidence showed Williams trapped and killed hawks preying on penned quail he was raising for hunting on his nearly 1,800-acre plantation.

Hodges also ordered Williams, 66, to perform 50 hours of community service at a Lowcountry wildlife center where officials took an injured hawk he shot, but did not kill.

Williams, an avid hunter, was also banned from hunting for JUST a year.

Federal prosecutor Eric Klumb had asked for a $100,000 fine and a three-year hunting ban.

But Hodges questioned Klumb for more than 20 minutes about whether such a sizable fine was too punitive in comparison with more than a dozen others around the nation.

Although the $100,000 fine was higher than others, Klumb insisted it was appropriate because Williams engaged in systematic trapping and killing of 31 birds in 2013 and 2014.

Williams, a well-to-do lawyer, can afford a fine of that magnitude, he said.

A hefty fine would “send a message” to others who trap and kill the hawks that this behavior will not be tolerated, the prosecutor said.

“These birds were killed in a very inhumane way,” he said.

Williams ordered three employees at the plantation to assist in the effort, Klumb said.

Federal officials could have brought more charges against Williams but allowed him and three others to agree to plead guilty to partial charges.

The American Justice System: As long as you're wealthy and well-connected, you get breaks/deals. Some poor schmuck redneck doing this would be in jail now.

Just before sentencing, Williams’ attorney state Sen. Brad Hutto, D-Orangeburg, cited Williams’ record of public service.

That included Williams’ time as a member of the U.S. Civil Rights Commission and trustee at S.C. State University before taking on a similar role at USC in 2010.

Williams long sponsored Easter egg hunts, given 250 turkeys to needy families every Thanksgiving and is a major supporter of youth sports. He is also active in church leadership and the Red Cross, gives scholarships to the USC law school and has wildlife sanctuaries on his plantation, Hutto said.

“He’s a pillar of the community,” Hutto declared.

Hutto criticized news coverage of the matter, saying Williams “has been tried in the court of public opinion. He has been tried not for what he did, but for who he is.”

The hawks aren’t rare and endangered but do qualify for federal protection, Hutto acknowledged.

Jim Elliott, executive director of the Center for Birds of Prey in the Lowcountry, said afterward that the penalty given Williams will help educate hunters and the public about the role hawks play.

“They have a vital, crucial role in the ecosystem,” Elliott said. “Birds of prey control rodent populations and provide so many things in the system.”

Williams’ accomplices Jimmy Aiken and John Dantzler each were fined $1,000 and given a one-year ban on hunting. Charges against Alejandro Renteria Noyola will be settled later.

Hutto and Williams’ other lawyer, Gedney Howe, had asked for a fine around $5,000.

In 2013, an anonymous tip led state and federal wildlife officials to place hidden surveillance cameras on Williams’ plantation. Photographs of dead hawks and the trapping cages were shown to the judge Monday.

All the fines ultimately will go to federal wildlife protection efforts.

(The State - June 6 2016)

Arizona: Officers Help Save a Hawk

ARIZONA -- Recently Officers Mike Buvala and John Scott of the Black Mountain Precinct Neighborhood Enforcement Team were conducting business at the Union Hills Neighborhood Station when they were approached by mechanics working at the shop there.

A hawk had been lounging on the asphalt near the shop for several hours and the group was worried he may be injured or incapacitated in some fashion.

When Officers Buvala and Scott approached, they noticed he was covered in an oily substance that was preventing him from being able to fly. The hawk was understandably skittish, so they stayed near him and made sure to keep other employees and vehicles away from him while they “hatched” a plan to get him much needed help.

The officers called the non-profit organization, Wild at Heart, a rescue, rehabilitation and release center for birds of prey. Wild at Heart sent emergency responder Bob to the scene who was able to deftly approach the bird and establish a rapport with him. Bob took custody of the bird and confirmed he was covered with an oily substance that would need to be cleaned off before the hawk could get back to normal business.

Without this much-needed intervention, the hawk would most likely have been injured or died under these circumstances.

Thanks to a collaboration between these officers and Wild at Heart, our new feathered partner was saved and will soon be clean, healthy and back out in the north Phoenix desert areas going about his regular activities!

(City of Phoenix Police Department - March 10, 2016)

Hawk rescued after cannonballing into pool

MASSACHUSETTS -- A hawk in Massachusetts was treated to an impromptu salon day after it fell into a pool.

Ken Buzzell was mowing his lawn on Thursday evening when he noticed something unusual—a hawk in his pool. The Merrimac resident used his pool’s leaf skimmer to rescue the raptor while his wife Kathy called Animal Control.

The problem is, Animal Control in Merrimac isn’t equipped to handle wild animals, according to a statement from the Merrimac Police Department. But it was after hours, so Animal Control Officer Lisa Young stepped up.

 

“The bottom line is we live in a small town and you do what you’re supposed to do,” she said in the statement. “It doesn’t matter what time it is, or what it entails. We pride ourselves on being able to help our residents whenever they ask for it.”

When Young arrived almost two hours later, the hawk was still shivering from its dip in the deep end. Although it was standing and didn’t appear to have any injuries, it had hypothermia.

Young used a hair dryer provided by Kathy to warm up and dry out the sopping bird. They covered it with blankets inside a dog crate for the night.

When Kathy opened the crate the next morning, the hawk took flight.

“He flew like he’d never skipped a beat,” Young said. “If it weren’t for the immediate action of the Buzzells, the hawk probably would not have made it.”

(Boston.com - Jul 25, 2015)

Caldwell officer rescues baby hawk from busy road

IDAHO -- A Caldwell police officer was at the right place at the right time Friday night, as he rescued a baby hawk near a busy road.

Officer Matt Hodnett, a 15-year veteran with the Caldwell Police Department, says he was driving on the 1500 block of Ustick Road in Caldwell when he saw a crowd of people.

He pulled over and found that the crowd was gathered near a baby hawk that had fallen out of a nest in front of a home.

  

Officer Hodnett tells KTVB one person was on the phone with Idaho Fish & Game at the time, hoping they'd be able to send someone to rescue the animal. But, since they were told Fish & Game's response person was nowhere near the area, the phone was handed to Officer Hodnett.

Officer Hodnett says the person on the phone told him to throw a t-shirt over the baby hawk, to avoid being scratched. He was then able to put the hawk back in the tree.

Hodnett says he was told baby hawks have fallen out of the same tree in the past, though this is the first hawk rescue he was able to help with.

(KTVB - May 30, 2015)

The flight of his life! Red-tailed hawk travels at speeds of 70mph though the night after getting trapped in SUV grille

TEXAS -- A bird of prey went on the flight of his life after getting trapped in the grille of a pick up truck and traveling at speeds of up to 70mph.

Andy Somerville from Texas was driving home when he saw a flash in front of him and felt a bump on the front of his vehicle. However, he assumed he'd hit something and it had bounced off and didn't think anything more of it.

But the next morning on further inspection, he discovered that a red-tailed hawk had got lodged in his bumper. Miraculously, the animal was still alive.

Somerville immediately called the Wildlife Center of Texas who came out to rescue the animal.

Photographs of the trapped hawk show it hanging out of the grill by its wings.

  

 

Somerville said the bird's body was the engine compartment and he was just 'freaking out' when he found it.

'I started to reach in and he latched on to my finger pretty good,' the driver told KHOU News.
'That's when I realized it was alive.'

He said he could imagine anything surviving the collision as he was doing about 70mph at the time.
Just over a week later, vets say the hawk is on the road to recovery.

He didn't sustain any broken bones and has slight bruising from where he was hanging.

It's hoped he will be back flying again in around six weeks. 

Red-tailed hawks can live up to 21 years in the wild with a maximum wing span of around 1.4 meters. 

(Daily Mail - Feb 13, 2015)

Nashville dog dies after hawk attack near Vanderbilt

TENNESSEE -- Neighbors in the Vanderbilt area community had admired the red-tailed hawk circling overhead for weeks.

But on Friday morning, Barbara Sanders heard her 22-year-old daughter scream. The bird had swooped into the family's yard and snatched her 7-pound Shih Tzu, Maltese mix, Bean.

She rushed to the back door. By then, Bean had been dropped. He was standing outside, bleeding.

Sanders grabbed a towel to put pressure on a wound on the dog's neck. There were talon puncture wounds across the dog's back. They rushed him to the vet, who gave him pain pills and antibiotics before performing surgery.

By Sunday morning, Bean had died. Sanders said the vet believes his injuries were so severe in part because of his fall from the hawk's talons.

"My family and I are so very sad," Sanders said. But she has mixed feelings: "We've encroached on the animals' natural habitat, and now we have coyotes and hawks killing little critters."

Bean died at home in the family's bathtub padded with pillows and blankets.

(The Tennessean - Nov 30, 2014)

TV wildlife expert walks free after being convicted of dozens of counts of cruelty to animals

UNITED KINGDOM -- A television wildlife expert who appeared on Alan Titchmarsh’s chat show has walked free from court despite being convicted of keeping more than 70 exotic animals in 'unspeakable' conditions.

Stephen Rowlands, 32, made regular television appearances and taught schoolchildren across the UK about the rare creatures with his company Tropical Inc.

The company, which teaches school children about tropical animals, states on its website that its staff can educate people about how to care for exotic pets.

When police raided the company’s headquarters in Dunhampton, Worcester, on January 3 they found 74 tropical creatures starved and crammed in four squalid holding pens.

A court heard investigators found meerkats, parrots, monkeys, turtles, owls, snakes and an armadillo kept without electricity, light and food.

The creatures were confiscated by RSPCA officers under the Animal Welfare Act after they were found covered in feces.

It has since cost the charity more than £100,000 to care for the range of bizarre breeds - which also included coatis (Brazilian aardvarks), genets (African mongooses), snapping turtles, tortoises, snakes, a porcupine, Harris hawks, and cotton-top tamarin monkeys.

Rowlands was convicted of animal cruelty at Worcester Magistrates Court on Thursday after pleading guilty to 34 counts of not providing a suitable habitat.

But a judge refused to jail Rowlands - who still teaches and presents on Tropical Inc shows - or ban him from working with, or keeping, animals.

Instead the TV personality was handed a 12-week jail term - suspended for two years - and £100,000 legal costs.

Deputy district judge Nalla Lawrence said conditions at Tropical Inc had been 'unspeakable' and admitted the animals had 'suffered a great deal'. However, he ruled a ban would be 'going too far' because Rowlands had made 'tremendous progress' in refurbishing the facilities.

The judge ordered Rowlands to forfeit seven animals and imposed a deprivation order which will see a further 36 removed from his possession.

Passing sentence he said: "He has learnt his lesson. This prosecution has prompted him to wake up. I find if I return these animals to him he may not be able to care for them to the standard that he would want to, so I am not going to return them.”

Rowlands was ordered to do 200 hours of unpaid work as well as paying legal costs of £6,100, further costs of £100 and an £80 victim surcharge.

Prosecutor Nick Sutton - on behalf of the RSPCA - told the court Tropical Inc’s website offers parties and educational talks on exotic animals.

Mr Sutton said: 'The society’s view is this is a commercial business. The animals are the stock and trade of this business - it’s open to be seen.'

 

Dominic Benthall, defending, said Rowlands had taken steps since the raid to improve the animals’ accommodation.

Mr Benthall said the company now employed a veterinary nurse, part-time carer and cleaner and students to help care for the animals.

He also denied Rowlands, from Oldbury, West Midlands, ran the business purely for financial gain.

(Daily Mail - Nov 15, 2013)

Newark man found with hawk, arrested on animal cruelty charges

DELAWARE -- A Newark man has been arrested on charges of animal cruelty after wildlife enforcement agents found him with a Coopers hawk, pigeons and rabbits on his property.

43-year-old Steven Cheng is charged with two counts of animal cruelty, unlicensed trapping, and illegally trapping a hawk.

The hawk was confiscated and taken to Tri-State Bird Rescue in Newark. Cheng was arraigned and released on his own recognizance, and is under orders to reduce the number of rabbits he has, as well as clean their cages and the pigeon cages regularly.

It is illegal to capture or possess a hawk without a special permit from DNREC's Division of Fish and Wildlife, and hawks are protected under federal and state laws.

(WDEL - November 14, 2013)

Injured red tail hawk rescued

MASSACHUSETTS -- Animal Rescue League of Boston's Rescue Technician Curtis Hanson uses an oversized net to rescue an injured hawk that had climbed onto a piece of machinery along Merrimac Street in North Woburn.

The red tail hawk was spotted with an apparent broken wing, and the Woburn police called the Animal Rescue League of Boston to rescue the bird.

(joebrownphotos.com)

Baby hawks found in Lee County yard

GEORGIA -- A Lee County man rescued a couple of baby raptors in his yard Friday.

Willie Duke came outside to survey storm damage about 7 a.m. and found two baby hawks under an 80-foot pine tree.

The mother hawk can be seen peering out of her nest at the top of the tree.

Duke thinks strong winds from last night's storms knocked the birds out their nest. He put the hawks in a shoe box and called animal control.

"I come out to check my trees and sure enough I had a mess and that's when I walked to the back yard and I heard them hollering with their mouth wide open," said Willie Duke.

Lee County Animal Control took the birds to Philema Animal Clinic. The vet will care for the hawks until they're able to fly.

(WALB - June 28, 2013)

Pocatello animal services officer rescues hawk that flew inside home: ‘I had never come across a situation like this before’

IDAHO -- On the job for less than a year, Pocatello Animal Services Officer Franci Turner had the opportunity to write a new chapter in local animal rescue recently. She removed a hawk from a residence and then released it into the wild.

The bird somehow flew down the chimney at a home in the Satterfield area about two weeks ago and was trapped in the fireplace. It was calm enough not to panic while Turner netted it.

“I had never come across a situation like this before and, since I was the only officer on scene, was not 100 percent sure of what to do,” Turner said. “I called a co-worker just to find out the correct procedure. I was surprised at just how it behaved.”

The chimney was closed, so the hawk was able to come down, but it could not get back up.

After putting the animal in a carrier and having it examined at the shelter, she released it, saying it was uninjured and quickly flew away. And while she could not tell the exact species of hawk, she did say it was mostly white with some black feathers.

“It was a very good feeling to capture it without incident,” said Turner, who until a year ago was a corrections officer working at the Pocatello Women’s Prison. “I was able to open the doors and windows of the home and turn out all of the lights. That was a calming influence, too, and the bird was relatively easy to net.”

An animal lover who claims her hiring as an animal control officer was a “step up,” not only in pay but in job satisfaction, Turner added that in her relatively short tenure she has seen a lot, including animal abuse, creatures in traps and snakes in homes.

And while animals are her top priority, she also has to deal with many human owners of pets who have become involved with the law. She especially remembers a women who had more than 30 cats in her home.

“I may have worked in the prison, but these people are locked up,” she said. “Here, I have to deal with people who are not behind bars. Many of these folks sincerely want the best for their pets, but often do not know how to properly care for them, especially in cases where there are too many in the home or on the property.”

Her most vivid memory, though, is not a pleasant one. She related how her office was involved in the incident in Holbrook, Idaho, where three adults were murdered and many fighting dogs were left starving and abused.

“Oh my gosh, it was just horrible,” she said. “The people being killed and how those animals were treated was just terrible. I really love this job, and I really, really love animals, but things like this are so heartbreaking.”

Turner revealed that while these particular incidents are few and far between, they do stay on her mind. The joy she finds in her daily routine and being able to play with the shelter’s canines every day before her shift begins compensate for the bad.

“I love all the animals we take care of here, but I am partial to dogs,” she admits. “I think I have a special connection with them. But no matter what kind of creature we are able to rescue — dogs, cats, horses, birds or whatever — it’s what we do and when it can be done without injuring or euthanizing the animals, it’s a very good feeling.”

(Idaho State Journal - June 3, 2013)

Illinois: Robert Chissus gets probation after breaking into wildlife refuge, stealing an eagle and hawk. The nearly-blind eagle was found, abandoned, the next day but the hawk has never been found

ILLINOIS -- A judge sentenced a Wonder Lake man Friday to 30 months of probation and fined him more than $3,000 for breaking into a wildlife refuge last year and stealing a bald eagle and a Cooper's hawk.

Robert L. Chissus, 32, admitted stealing the birds from the McHenry County Conservation District's Wildlife Resource Center on Jan. 11, 2002, with help from an 11-year-old boy. He pleaded guilty to burglary, criminal damage to government property, theft and contributing to the delinquency of a minor.

The Cooper's hawk, which had been recovering from an injury, has not been found. Hunters recovered the eagle, which has cataracts, is nearly blind and couldn't possibly survive on its own, in a field the day after the burglary.

Why would you give him probation??? I'd tell him, cough up the hawk and I'll give you probation. Otherwise, you'll be cooling your heels in a jail cell!

McHenry Circuit Judge Ward Arnold banned Chissus from drinking alcoholic beverages while on probation. A parole officer will monitor Chissus, who will be subject to random urine and blood tests.

"Within 10 minutes after I met you, I knew your main problem was alcohol," Arnold told Chissus. "Your prior criminal history largely is the result of that."

Chissus has a 1998 conviction on a drunken-driving charge in Florida and a 1988 burglary conviction in McHenry County that involved alcohol, said his lawyer, Christopher Harmon.

Chissus was out on bail after being charged with stealing the birds, but he violated conditions of his bail by drinking, authorities said. Bail was revoked May 2.

MAYBE HIS MOMMY SHOULD DO SOMETHING ABOUT HIS DRINKING PROBLEM INSTEAD OF MAKING EXCUSES FOR HIM WHEN HE COMMITS CRIMES

Chissus' mother, Adrienne, said Thursday that her son was just investigating strange noises in the pen at the wildlife center, which borders her property, the night of Jan. 11, when he fell through the wire roof.

Worried the rare birds would injure themselves trying to escape, her son brought them to their home and tried to feed them, she said.

"He felt responsible," she said. "They were better off out of their cages."

The hawk flew off, and the bald eagle flew into a tree, she said.

She scoffed at the suggestion that Chissus intentionally stole the rare birds.

"What are you going to do with a bald eagle?" she said.

James McAuliff, chief of the criminal division of the McHenry County state's attorney's office, would not say what Chissus' motive might have been, but noted there is a black market for rare and endangered species.

"He was not going to release them into the wild," McAuliff said.

Bald eagles are listed as threatened on the federal endangered species list. Cooper's hawks are protected under federal laws regarding migratory birds.

(Chicago Tribune -May 17, 2003)