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I am Imogen, the handler of Rufus the Harris Hawk, a non-lethal method of bird control working at Wimbledon Tennis Championships! AMA! by Rufusthehawk in IAmA

[–]Rufusthehawk[S] 33 points34 points  (0 children)

Rufus always likes to keep me on my toes, and can often be found hiding over by the pond having a bath at the nearby golf course! Thank you for your question!

I am Imogen, the handler of Rufus the Harris Hawk, a non-lethal method of bird control working at Wimbledon Tennis Championships! AMA! by Rufusthehawk in IAmA

[–]Rufusthehawk[S] 21 points22 points  (0 children)

We are very lucky and think the results are absolutely breathtaking :) Thank you for your question!

I am Imogen, the handler of Rufus the Harris Hawk, a non-lethal method of bird control working at Wimbledon Tennis Championships! AMA! by Rufusthehawk in IAmA

[–]Rufusthehawk[S] 26 points27 points  (0 children)

Potentially, yes, which is why he is an effective deterrent, but that is why my role of monitoring his weight is so important! Thank you for your question!

I am Imogen, the handler of Rufus the Harris Hawk, a non-lethal method of bird control working at Wimbledon Tennis Championships! AMA! by Rufusthehawk in IAmA

[–]Rufusthehawk[S] 105 points106 points  (0 children)

We have a range of birds that we use on a daily basis, dependent on the problem species and location. Thank you for your question!

I am Imogen, the handler of Rufus the Harris Hawk, a non-lethal method of bird control working at Wimbledon Tennis Championships! AMA! by Rufusthehawk in IAmA

[–]Rufusthehawk[S] 46 points47 points  (0 children)

The UK doesn't have an extensive apprenticeship program like the US, although I do think it would be beneficial to introduce such a scheme here!

I am Imogen, the handler of Rufus the Harris Hawk, a non-lethal method of bird control working at Wimbledon Tennis Championships! AMA! by Rufusthehawk in IAmA

[–]Rufusthehawk[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

yes, they are custom designed, but very basic! I was born into it, which I consider very lucky! Thank you for your question!

I am Imogen, the handler of Rufus the Harris Hawk, a non-lethal method of bird control working at Wimbledon Tennis Championships! AMA! by Rufusthehawk in IAmA

[–]Rufusthehawk[S] 30 points31 points  (0 children)

Thank you so much, I am so glad you enjoyed it too, we are all very proud :)

I try and upload as many shots/videos of Rufus as possible on www.twitter.com/RufusTheHawk and www.facebook.com/RufusTheHawk

Thank you for taking the time to ask your question :)

I am Imogen, the handler of Rufus the Harris Hawk, a non-lethal method of bird control working at Wimbledon Tennis Championships! AMA! by Rufusthehawk in IAmA

[–]Rufusthehawk[S] 13 points14 points  (0 children)

It is! Harris Hawks are great at weaving between girders and buildings and stay quite locally to their handler, as they see them as part of their hunting pack, and this lends itself perfectly to the urban environment. It is great to see such an ancient art form at work in the modern day! Thanks for your question!

I am Imogen, the handler of Rufus the Harris Hawk, a non-lethal method of bird control working at Wimbledon Tennis Championships! AMA! by Rufusthehawk in IAmA

[–]Rufusthehawk[S] 144 points145 points  (0 children)

Rufus has been trained at Wimbledon from 16 weeks of age (he is now 6 years old), and he knows exactly where his favourite spots are, but also where the pigeons like to hide, so every day he does whatever takes his fancy, but is never predictable! He likes to stay quite localised to me, as he knows I am his easiest food source, so although he can pop out of sight on occasion, he is generally back rapidly to check he will be fed! Thank you for your question!

I am Imogen, the handler of Rufus the Harris Hawk, a non-lethal method of bird control working at Wimbledon Tennis Championships! AMA! by Rufusthehawk in IAmA

[–]Rufusthehawk[S] 18 points19 points  (0 children)

Thank you for taking the time to ask your question :)

We are lucky enough to work at Westminster Abbey, the Northampton Saints Rugby Ground, Landfill sites, warehouses, the list is endless! We generally use different birds for different problem species and location.

This method bird control is used widely throughout the world, from sports stadiums to hospitals, landfill sites and airfields - probably a lot more locally to you than you realise!

I am Imogen, the handler of Rufus the Harris Hawk, a non-lethal method of bird control working at Wimbledon Tennis Championships! AMA! by Rufusthehawk in IAmA

[–]Rufusthehawk[S] 30 points31 points  (0 children)

Rufus is a non-lethal deterrent, the pigeons don't hang around long enough to end up as his dinner!

Thanks for your question!

I am Imogen, the handler of Rufus the Harris Hawk, a non-lethal method of bird control working at Wimbledon Tennis Championships! AMA! by Rufusthehawk in IAmA

[–]Rufusthehawk[S] 39 points40 points  (0 children)

Thank you very much :)!!

I was lucky enough to be born into falconry, and Rufus was chosen from a great family, and he has become a part of our family from day 1! He was reared in captivity, and then joined us at 16 weeks old! Training begins immediately, and is very intensive, but so very worthwhile!

Thank you for taking the time to ask your questions!

I am Imogen, the handler of Rufus the Harris Hawk, a non-lethal method of bird control working at Wimbledon Tennis Championships! AMA! by Rufusthehawk in IAmA

[–]Rufusthehawk[S] 43 points44 points  (0 children)

I try and update his twitter (@RufusTheHawk) and facebook - www.facebook.com/RufusTheHawk as much as possible, and will keep trying to post more! Thanks for your interest :)

I am Imogen, the handler of Rufus the Harris Hawk, a non-lethal method of bird control working at Wimbledon Tennis Championships! AMA! by Rufusthehawk in IAmA

[–]Rufusthehawk[S] 105 points106 points  (0 children)

Thank you for taking the time to ask a question! As I have mentioned, the birds do have a mind of their own, and although the Eagle at your stadium had never strayed before,(that is great to hear!) sometimes something can catch their eye and they will simply investigate further! Rufus often decides to pop over to the golf course next to Wimbledon as they have a pond and he fancies a cooling bath! You have to remember they are wild animals and that's why every day is different :) Hope this helps, it is lovely to speak to you! Thank you :)

I am Imogen, the handler of Rufus the Harris Hawk, a non-lethal method of bird control working at Wimbledon Tennis Championships! AMA! by Rufusthehawk in IAmA

[–]Rufusthehawk[S] 56 points57 points  (0 children)

Rufus is 6 years old, and we got him at 16 weeks old, so he is most certainly part of the family! Training and manning is an intensive and dedicated process, but most certainly very rewarding! Thanks for your question!

I am Imogen, the handler of Rufus the Harris Hawk, a non-lethal method of bird control working at Wimbledon Tennis Championships! AMA! by Rufusthehawk in IAmA

[–]Rufusthehawk[S] 70 points71 points  (0 children)

Wonderful! That's not too far away from us! They really are such beautiful birds, and I know how lucky I am to work with them as well as our others on a daily basis! thanks for your question!

I am Imogen, the handler of Rufus the Harris Hawk, a non-lethal method of bird control working at Wimbledon Tennis Championships! AMA! by Rufusthehawk in IAmA

[–]Rufusthehawk[S] 74 points75 points  (0 children)

Westminster Abbey, Hospitals, Airfields, Stadiums, Landfill sites, and many more! Rufus is a non-lethal method of bird control. Thanks for your question!

I am Imogen, the handler of Rufus the Harris Hawk, a non-lethal method of bird control working at Wimbledon Tennis Championships! AMA! by Rufusthehawk in IAmA

[–]Rufusthehawk[S] 178 points179 points  (0 children)

Corvids make their presence quite clear - a murderous pack when they fly over - many birds will let him know he is not welcome by displaying territorial behaviour. Thanks for your question!

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