Crazy. Bryant Park in New York City has been using trained hawks to keep the pigeon population down — and one of them went for a Chihuahua. From Trained NYC Hawks Attack Chihuahua:
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.
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“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.
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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.
Hey, who wouldn’t mistake a Chihuahua for a rat?