Meet Rufus, the woodland hawk and guardian of the Wimbledon skies.
Rufus patrols the airspace above Wimbledon from 5am to 9am every day, scaring off pigeons, which love to munch on the courts’ grass seeds.
Rufus patrols the airspace above Wimbledon from 5am to 9am every day, scaring off pigeons, which love to munch on the courts’ grass seeds.
Without this noble bird, one of the world’s most prestigious tennis tournaments would probably be interrupted by pigeons every summer.
His handler, falconer Imogen Davis, says using Rufus as more humane and uncomplicated way to control the pesky invaders — and doesn’t hurt any of his fellow feathered friends. His intimidating stare and majestic air patrols are enough to scare the pigeons away from the courts.
“We use Rufus as a nonlethal deterrent, so he flies when he’s not hungry enough to eat the pigeons, but not full enough to ignore them either.”
Rufus is so popular with fans, he even has his own Twitter account.
Good Morning from @Wimbledon #Wimbledon2014 pic.twitter.com/5Ea1FNdGRn
— Rufus The Hawk (@RufusTheHawk) June 25, 2014
And his celebrity status doesn't end there. Rufus also stars in his own video:
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