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Post by Die Fledermaus on Jun 16, 2007 23:59:26 GMT -4
Breaking News Wildlife on the loose in New York
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Wednesday, June 13th 2007, 5:39 PM
A hawk down in midtown Manhattan? Another bird of prey grounded across town? A sheep loose in the Bronx?
It wasn't shear fantasy.
The odd series of animal adventures began 10 a.m. Wednesday when a former parks commissioner, Gordon Davis, reported spotting a hawk that had crash-landed near the Ziegfeld movie theater. At about 11:30 a.m. several blocks away came a report of another wounded bird, this time an American kestrel.
The birds were rescued by the Department of Parks and Recreation, which determined they were 7-week-old fledglings shaken up while testing their wings. Both were expected to recover and be returned to the wilds of Manhattan, where a growing population of birds of prey nest on high-rises and feast on squirrels, rats and pigeons, said the current parks commissioner, Adrian Benepe.
"It's the season when birds are learning to fly, which is not easy to do in midtown," Benepe said.
Finally, there was the 11 a.m. report of a sheep running around the Bronx. Police captured the female lamb and turned it over to an animal rescue organization, Animal Care & Control of New York City.
Shelter manager Liz Keller said the 7-month-old lamb caught a break: It apparently escaped from a live animal market, where it would have been sold for food. Now it's bound for a farm sanctuary upstate.
"The staff named her Lucky Lady," Keller said. "She's adorable."
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Post by pinky on Jun 17, 2007 18:17:05 GMT -4
It is indeed fledging time! I've got lots of them around here.
Hawk--probably red-tailed hawk. They're common and do adapt to urban conditions. Kestrels--I love them. There was one at the bird rescue/rehab where I volunteered--he was somewhat imprinted and so couldn't be released. He was used in talks to educate the public. This guy was such a character. He landed on my head a few times to make a point: "Hey, where's my food?"
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Post by Die Fledermaus on Jun 17, 2007 20:23:08 GMT -4
There was a photo of that lamb in Saturday's Daily News, but I could not find it online. Maybe someone else can on the nydailynews site. Very sweet.
I have not eaten lamb in nigh on twenty years, and the same goes for steak, pork, and veal.
Red tailed hawks are fairly common in Green-Wood Cemetery here in Brooklyn. Among other places.
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Post by llamaniac on Jun 26, 2007 20:30:42 GMT -4
I'm a vegetarian!
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