Rescuers Trap Hawk With Nail In Head

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- A red-tailed hawk that appears to have been shot in the head with a nail gun was captured in a San Francisco park and rushed to a wildlife center, a rescue group says.

The juvenile bird was trapped Saturday evening at the San Francisco Botanical Gardens, said Rebecca Dmytryk, executive director of the Monterey-based group WildRescue.

There was no immediate word on the bird's condition, but a photo of the capture shows the bird being held by a rescuer.

Dmytryk said it was immediately transported to Wildlife Center of Silicon Valley in San Jose, where specialists were staying late to receive it.

WildRescue had been notified of the injured bird nearly a week ago and had tried to trap it several times last week without success.

But observers got close enough to the bird to see the nail extending from its cheek through the front of its head. They said the hawk appeared to be in pain.

Dmytryk's group had been using a trap called a bal-chatri, a trap made of wire mesh, to try to catch the injured hawk.

Rescuers believe someone intentionally hurt the hawk earlier this month. A reward of $10,000 has been offered for information leading to the arrest and conviction of whomever harmed the bird.

She has said that wild birds, like hawks are protected, and that it's a felony to try to capture the birds without a license.

(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)