06 July,2017 08:41 AM IST | London | AFP
He's a sharp-eyed, no-nonsense killer who rules the roost at Wimbledon and the tennis championships wouldn't function without him: meet Rufus, the hawk who makes pigeons' lives hell
Rufus, the hawk with his handler Imogen Davis. Pic/AFP
Rufus, the hawk with his handler Imogen Davis. Pic/AFP
He's a sharp-eyed, no-nonsense killer who rules the roost at Wimbledon and the tennis championships wouldn't function without him: meet Rufus, the hawk who makes pigeons' lives hell.
Weighing just 625 grammes, he has been training at the All England Club in southwest London since he was 16 weeks old. "You couldn't do this with just any bird. He's just so and relaxed," said his handler Imogen Davis.
"We start at 5 am. We clear the pigeons, if there's any around, and get ready for the day's play. But we're here all year round which is when the majority of the work is done.
"The courts are reseeded and the pigeons think it's a picnic. They come and eat the grass seed. We're here to ascertain that it's Rufus's territory - and it's not a safe place for them."
