The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) has responded to a claim that a bird of prey attempted to take a dog while it was being walked in Wiltshire.
As reported earlier today, a Royal Wootton Bassett resident reported that a large bird of prey – thought to be a red kite or buzzard – swooped towards a pomeranian cross chihuahua.
The incident is said to have happened in New Road Park yesterday (14 June) – but other locals have disputed it, claiming birds of prey would never go for a dog.
But the RSPB told Wiltshire 999s that, whilst it’s not a common occurrence, it is indeed possible – and even more likely in spring and early summer, when they may have chicks in a nest nearby.
“Although it is very rare for a bird of prey to come close to people, they are wild animals and can become startled and try and warn people to stay away if they feel threatened, particularly if they have chicks nearby”, a spokesperson for the bird conservation charity said.
Adding that: “Some individual red kites have also become less scared of humans over the years due to people feeding them in their gardens.
“If red kites are acting defensively we’d recommend avoiding the area for a time to give any chicks a chance to leave the nest, and we also strongly urge people not to feed red kites – these amazing birds travel far and wide to get their food, and with their keen eyesight they rarely have any problem finding it.”
So in conclusion: while it is highly unlikely the bird of prey was going to pick up the dog and fly away with it, it may have appeared as if it was going to do so. In reality, it was probably just warning off the potential predator.
This means people and animals coming into contact with birds of prey near their nesting sites could be attacked by them – this usually involves the birds swiftly swooping down towards them.
