Rat Poison Kills East Village Hawk

EAST VILLAGE, NY — A red-tailed hawk that park rangers tried to rescue after finding it poisoned in Tompkins Square Park has died.

Rangers caught the fledgling of the green space's famed hawk couple Amelia and Christos on July 25 after bird watchers reported its lethargic behavior. He was sent to a Long Island animal rescue center where he was treated for rodenticide poisoning before passing away early Sunday morning.

A rescue worker discovered the dead bird when she went to feed and medicate him at 5:30 a.m., according to a social media post by the group that treated the hawk.

"[This] is so gut wrenching," wrote Cathy Stpierre of Wildlife In Need Of Rescue And Rehabilitation, or WINORR, on the group's Facebook page. "[This] beautiful young soul will never soar high up in the clouds bringing the caring people joy and happiness of watching his magnificence."

The hawk was initially sent to the Animal Medical Center in the Upper East Side, where workers performed blood tests to check for West Nile virus, lead and rodenticide poisoning, according to a July 25 WINORR Facebook post. The results indicated that the hawk was potentially exposed to rodenticide.

The dead bird was a heart breaking discovery for rescue workers who were in the midst of nursing the hawk back to the health.

"He never got the chance to live his life. Instead he suffered a horrible death," Stpierre's post continued. "How hard is it to clean up after yourselves and take pride in our planet and all that live in it?"

It is likely the hawk ate an animal that had ingested the poison.

Photo courtesy of Laura Goggin/Laura Goggin Photography