Hawk Shot with Nail Gun Recovering at Wildlife Facility

A red-tailed hawk that was shot in the head with a nail gun earlier this month and in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park over the weekend is recovering at a San Jose animal hospital.

The injured hawk, a female juvenile, was lured into a trap around 5 p.m. Saturday at the San Francisco Botanical Gardens, according to WildRescue, a Monterey-based wildlife rescue group.

The bird was transported to the Wildlife Center of Silicon Valley in San Jose.

The center's director, Anita Templer, said the nail fell out of the bird's head while it was being driven to the South Bay.

Templer said she saw the hawk today and "it's very active and responsive."

The bird "is responding well to the pain protocol and antibiotics," she said. "She was underweight when we got her, but she's doing much, much better."

Templer said center officials hope to be able to move her to an outdoor enclosure within the next 10 days if the recovery continues as planned.

Authorities do not know exactly when the hawk was injured, but WildRescue director Rebecca Dmytryk said her organization received a photo of the bird with the nail in its head on Oct. 9.

The shooting is believed to have been intentional.

There is a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible for shooting the hawk. Anyone with information is asked to call the group's 24-hour hotline at (866) WILD-911.

- Bay City News

-Ed. Note: The red-tailed hawk photo by Half Moon Bay Patch contributor Stuart Nafey accompanying this article is not the hawk that was injured. The photo is for illustrative purposes only.

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