Hawk found with nail in head recovering in Calif.

October 24, 2011

Hawk found with nail in head recovering in Calif. (AP)

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A wildlife rescue group captures a red-tailed hawk in a San Francisco park that appears to have been shot in the head with a nail gun. Rebecca Dmytryk, executive director of the Monterey-based group WildRescue, says the juvenile bird was trapped Saturday Oct. 22, 2011 shortly before sunset at the San Francisco Botanical Gardens. The bird was immediately transported to Wildlife Center of Silicon Valley in San Jose. (AP Photo/Katerine Ulrich - WildRescue)

(AP) -- A red-tailed hawk that rescuers said was shot in the head with a nail gun was recovering Sunday at a Northern California wildlife center.

The hawk, captured in a San Francisco park by rescuers Saturday, was doing "very well" while being cared for at the Wildlife Center of Silicon Valley in San Jose, said Rebecca Dmytryk, executive director of the Monterey-based group WildRescue.

"The nail dislodged and dropped out during transport with no sign of additional trauma and no bleeding," Dmytryk said.

The juvenile bird was trapped Saturday evening at the San Francisco Botanical Gardens. It was immediately transported to the wildlife center where specialists stayed late to receive it, Dmytryk said.

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.

believe someone intentionally hurt the 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 like hawks are protected, and that it's a felony to try to capture the without a license.

©2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


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