Post by ncboman on Apr 1, 2006 9:15:08 GMT -5
Resort's Bird Deaths Ruffle Feathers
ORLANDO, Fla. -- Two hawks have died at a Central Florida resort, and the deaths are ruffling a lot of feathers around town.
In the past two weeks, managers at the Grand Cypress Resort said a pair of red-shouldered hawks divebombed 10 people, WESH 2 News reported.
One man's puncture wound and facial cuts left the resort with a $1,000 medical bill. For two weeks, the birds menaced people at the villas and on the restaurant veranda. A security guard had to be posted to warn people about the dive-bombing birds.
The resort called the Birds of Prey Center for help.
"We asked them to call us back to see if we could help them relocate the nest," Birds of Prey Center representative Lynda White said.
But that kind of permission can take weeks. Instead, the resort asked for help from a scientist from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Because of the severity of the injuries and the frequency of the attacks, the USDA officer ordered the killing of the birds.
"We began the process of trying to remediate it immediately. It became more urgent once it started happening every day," Grand Cypress Resort representative Warren Channell said.
Managers said they're sorry it had to happen, but they couldn't wait any longer and risk more guests getting injured in the dive-bombing duo's two-week reign of terror.
The hawks are federally protected but not considered endangered birds. Experts said they only get aggressive during nesting season..
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