The
Sacramento Bee reports that a strange event occurred at the Effie Yeaw Nature Center in Carmichael -- a hawk swooped down from the sky and snatched a woman's toy poodle. At least, that's what the woman claims:
To hear publicity coordinator Betty Cooper tell it, an employee was walking the center grounds when he was flagged down by the hysterical woman, who claimed a hawk had made off with her toy poodle.
And though it's a story straight out of the friend-of-a-friend-told-me handbook, it's not outside the realm of possibility.
The nature center does have a wild hawk population, the dog was about the size of a rabbit and there is an area adjacent to the park that's popular (though not strictly allowable) for running off-leash dogs.
"It's bizarre," Cooper said. "This is the first time I've ever heard about (something like this)."
It's actually not that uncommon for hawks to attack small dogs. I think it's usually a case of the hawk protecting its territory, rather than wanting to eat the dog. So I think the case at the Effie Yeaw Nature Center could be true.
It reminds me of the case of the
Killer Hawk of Chicago, from 1927, which also (I believe) turned out to be true, despite suspicions to the contrary. Although the Chicago hawk attacked pigeons, not poodles. (via
Legends & Rumors)
Comments
Funnier still, this just came up in a conversation in my Physics class. He told us of these children he knew that had their rat picked up by a hawk while they were playing with it outside.
Good times.
Unless this has happened to any of you in which case I express my deepest sympathies.
I could easily believe that a good-sized hawk could make off with one of those silly little miniature dogs. Whether it really happened or not in this particular case, who among us can truly say?