Animal refuges treat 18 hawks, raptors in shootings; 4 survive (Pa)

Someone is shooting the region's birds of prey.

Wildlife refuges serving Westmoreland and Fayette counties report an alarming spike in the number of hawks and other raptors wounded since the beginning of 2009. Most of the birds have subsequently died.

"These are protected birds," said Beth Shoaf, director of Wildlife Works in Youngwood. "It's extremely distressing."

"I think it's malicious," said Gretchen Weslager of Windy Ridge Wildlife Refuge of Acme. "A bird doesn't look like a fawn or a deer. It's hard to confuse the two."

Birds of prey are protected by state and federal laws, said Tom Fazi of the Pennsylvania Game Commission, Southwest Region.

The maximum fine for killing or injuring a red-tailed hawk, for example, is $200. The penalty for killing a protected bird such as an eagle is steeper, Fazi said.

Since January, the two wildlife refuges report that 18 wounded birds have been brought to their doors for treatment, but only 4 survived. In a typical year, there are two at most, Weslager and Shoaf said.

Shoaf reached her breaking point when a red-tailed hawk that she had rehabilitated for seven months for malnutrition was returned Nov. 14 with a gunshot wound next to its left wing.

"Fuzzy" was discovered in a yard on Radebaugh Road in Hempfield, Shoaf said.

The bird had been returned to the wild in September. Shoaf said when she received a call about a bird on the ground in Hempfield, her heart sank. The Radebaugh Road area is where Fuzzy had been released.

Fuzzy's future is uncertain. The bird may need more surgery, followed by months of rehabilitation. It may not be able to fly again. In that event, it likely will be destroyed, Shoaf said.

A hawk without wings is a hawk in name only, she said.

Weslager and Shoaf said the red-tailed hawk apparently is the target of choice for whoever is doing the shooting. More of these birds have been wounded than any other type. No eagles are known to have been injured.

Shoaf was at a loss to explain the situation. She said it is "inconceivable" that anyone would be so mean or careless as to shoot the birds for fun but thinks that may be the case.

OK....here comes the bad words again. Sick sick people to do this.