Red-Tailed Hawk Rescued Near Hemet After Deadly, 'Violent' Air Battle

HEMET, CA- A red-tailed hawk found seriously injured east of Hemet following an apparent air battle that left another hawk dead was under the care of animal rescue volunteers today.

The hawk was discovered outside the Dwelling Place Church on Girard Street late Monday afternoon, according to Riverside County Department of Animal Services spokesman John Welsh.

An animal control officer was called to the location by a passer-by, who spotted two hawks next to the church. Welsh said that by the time the officer arrived, one of the hawks had expired; the victorious bird of prey had two talons embedded in it.

“It’s the first time I’ve seen anything like this,” said Officer Carra Mathewson, who caught the injured hawk. “I have heard that these birds sometimes fight, but we have not seen something this violent between hawks.”

Mathewson wrapped a towel around the wounded bird, which initially resisted her but ultimately calmed down, allowing the animal control officer to remove the talons, one of which had deeply penetrated the bird, Welsh said.

He said the hawk was transported to the county’s San Jacinto Valley Animal Campus for treatment, after which it was turned over to a volunteer from Project Wildlife, a San Diego-based nonprofit that specializes in rehabilitation of injured creatures.

The red-tailed hawk is expected to survive, according to Welsh.

– By City News Service. Images courtesy of the Riverside County Department of Animal Services and Bob Beckett.