Rufus the Hawk
Rufus the Hawk, Bird Scarer
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| Species | Harris Hawk |
|---|---|
| Sex | Male |
| Occupation | Bird Scarer |
| Known for | Scaring birds away from the Wimbledon Championships |
Rufus the Hawk is a Harris Hawk used by the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club to keep pigeons away from their venue. Described as an "important member of the Wimbledon family",[1] Rufus has been scaring away the birds for fifteen years,[2] taking over from the previous hawk, Hamish.[3]
The All England Club employ Rufus to patrol their 42-acre grounds throughout the year, with daily visits during the two weeks of The Championships and the 2012 Summer Olympics.[3][4] Pigeons are particularly attracted to the roof of the centre court.[3] He has also been employed to scare pigeons away from Westminster Abbey, various hospitals, airfields, and landfill sites.[3][4]
On 28 June 2012 Rufus was stolen from the back of his owner's car while it was parked on a private drive.[1][5] He would usually be driven back to his home in Corby, Northamptonshire, but his owner had chosen to stay in London.[6] The theft caused a "global outcry" with significant coverage in the media leading to Rufus being named "the world's most notable bird" and "one of Britain's best-known birds".[4][7] He was found three days later on Wimbledon Common and handed into the RSPCA. The bird was healthy with the only injury being a slightly sore leg.[1][5] Rufus usually wears a radio transmitter by which he could have been tracked, but it is removed from him at night.[4] In June 2013 it was reported that Rufus was scared by people in hoods and that he had been chased off by crows.[5]
Rufus has also been featured by Stella Artois in their advertising series 'Here's To Perfection' which can be viewed here, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_uxgiB6oEQA as well as a 360 view of flying above Wimbledon https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LVTAOZtbXHc
Rufus has accounts on Twitter and Facebook and his own Wimbledon security photocard pass with the job title of "Bird Scarer".[1] He is popular amongst Wimbledon fans who often ask to have their photograph taken with him.[6]
References
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- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
