I heard this story yesterday a.m. (Of all places...on the
Howard Stern show while flipping through stations...)
And have two questions:
1) I heard it was because NY has such a terrible rat
problem. So, the hawks are used because of
pigeons? (Or is this a NY thing...I know I've heard
of pigeons being called flying rats before! :-))

2) Is Bryant Park on off-leash park? If so, wasn't
the owner watching? If NOT, then how in the heck?
(Not being sarcastic...seriously, but if a dog was
on a leash near a human, I don't imagine a hawk
would get too terribly close)

Weird...
Shelly & The Boys

wrote in message
...
Trained NYC Hawks Attack Chihuahua
Wed Aug 6, 5:54 PM ET

By LARRY McSHANE, Associated Press Writer

NEW YORK - Trained hawks employed to keep pigeons from
making a mess on visitors in a midtown park have been
grounded because one of the birds mistook a Chihuahua as
its lunch.

An 18-inch hawk swooped down and gouged the diminutive
pooch with one of its talons while the dog was nosing
around in the bushes of Bryant Park, located behind the
landmark New York Public Library.

The hawk was quickly separated from the pooch Tuesday
afternoon. A park employee flagged down a cab so the dog's
owner could take it to a veterinarian, said Richard Dillon,
vice president of security for Bryant Park.

The dog owner asked that her identity not be released.

The program, which aims to scare pigeons out of the park,
could be finished. A final decision is expected by the end
of the week.
"I sincerely believe the bird mistook it for a rat because
it was in the shrubbery," said Thomas Cullen, the falconer
hired to run the anti-pigeon program.

The hawk, named Galan, was taken to Cullen's headquarters
in Goshen, N.Y.

The Bryant Park Restoration Corp. picked up the vet's bill,
Cullen said at a news conference with another of the
sharp-taloned birds, Starbuck, perched on his left hand.

Daniel Biederman, executive director of the Bryant Park
group, said the hawk program has been a success since it
was started in April, with pigeon infestation down 50
percent and fewer complaints from visitors.

However, city Parks Department officials called for its
end.

"We place the safety of park users, including their pets,
over any minor inconvenience that may be caused by
pigeons," said spokeswoman Megan Sheekey.

Some park visitors disagree.

"I don't think this should be done away with because of one
misstep," Ward Miller, a lawyer from Glen Ridge, N.J., said
of the hawks while taking his daily walk in Bryant Park.
"This is a great idea. It's better than the alternatives,
like poison."