Hawk Rescued From 2 Hungry Transients

She is one lucky jailbird.

The creature in question is a red-tailed hawk that came very close to being dinner for two transients this week.

But she was saved by the kindness of a third transient, who wangled her away from his hungry acquaintances, then brought her into the Los Angeles Police Department Foothill Division early Tuesday.

“Apparently, the transient traded food for the bird,” Officer Joseph Napolitano said.

Officers promptly put the bird in a holding cell until they could call animal control officers. They then called the Wildlife Waystation, a nonprofit organization that provides medical treatment to wild animals, then releases them back into their natural habitats.

Details of the rescue are sketchy, but police believe the transient, who did not identify himself, saved the bird of prey from being prey on San Fernando Road in Pacoima, Napolitano said. About 2 a.m., he walked into the police station with the bird.

Waystation veterinarians determined that the hawk, at least 2 years old, was in shock and apparently suffering from a bacterial infection, Director Martine Colette said.

Officials are watching the hawk like a hawk, giving her plenty of fluids and treating her with antibiotics, Colette said. They also are feeding the scrawny bird a high-protein paste designed to prepare her stomach for the usual diet of rats and mice.

If the hawk recovers, she will be released in the foothills near Pacoima, Colette said. In the meantime, Colette will report the matter to the state Department of Fish and Game for investigation.

It is against the law in California to capture, possess or kill birds of prey. The maximum penalty for the misdemeanor is a $1,000 fine and six months in County Jail.

“Most people try not to eat hawks,” she said, noting that birds of prey taste foul. And, she said, there would not have been very much of the emaciated bird to eat.

Evidently, the hawk, like the transients, had not had a meal for quite a while.