Recovery intervention this morning for the Provincial Police. The agents were called to Piazza dei Martiri, in Belluno, where a peregrine falcon had just preyed upon a city pigeon.
The bird of prey fell on its prey and was consuming it right on the liston, among the curious gazes of dozens of Belluno people, on market day. Reason why the municipal police of the capital have requested the intervention of the provincial guards.
The agents of Palazzo Piloni have captured the falcon using only a pair of gloves. “The animal, an adult male, had a particularly confident attitude, which is not unusual for a hungry peregrine falcon,” explains the provincial councilor in charge of wildlife management. «Since he did not have any wounds, or rings that could suggest a domesticated specimen, the agents took him to a rural environment, to allow him to finish the predation in a more appropriate context. They monitored his behavior and were able to verify that once the meal was complete, the hawk flew away. In all likelihood the animal had been hungry for days and once refreshed, it went away without problems ».
The area where the animal has moved away will still be monitored by the provincial guards in the coming days. In case of need, the veterinarian of the Treviso Cras, with which the Province of Belluno has an agreement, has already been alerted.
«Predation in the city center is not entirely unusual: we often see examples of peregrine falcons wandering around the area of the bell tower of the Cathedral – continues the managing director -. We are talking about an exceptional hunter of prey, which indeed plays a fundamental ecological role. Precisely the peregrine falcon, favorite animal of Frederick II of Swabia in his royal hunting expeditions, can reach 300 kilometers per hour in swoop, and for this reason it is used on the runways of airports, to drive away the flocks of birds that would create problems for operations. for take-off and landing of aircraft ».
The President of the Province thanked the provincial agents, “for the great professionalism shown in this speech as well”. “The correctness of the procedure performed must be emphasized” concludes the managing director. «Professionals trained in this kind of intervention were rightly called. A bird of prey such as the peregrine falcon, not handled correctly and touched without safety devices, can cause serious injuries with its claws ».