Charity bids to bring stray Harris hawk Elvis and owner back together

An animal welfare charity is hoping to reunite a stray Harris hawk with its owner.

The bird was spotted near Blair Drummond Safari Park, Stirling, on April 3.

A member of the public reported the sighting to the Scottish SPCA, which is now caring for the raptor.

The charity is hoping to find the owner of the adult hawk, who staff have named Evis.

Colin Seddon of the Scottish SPCA said: “Evis is doing well in our care, but we would like to reunite him with his owner as soon as possible. 0 The SSPCA wants to reunite Evis the hawk with his owner

“When he was reported to us it was said he was harassing nearby ducks, however he did have tassels on and was relatively easy to catch, which leads us to believe he is tame.

“He was a little underweight when he first came in but he’s now doing well and ready to get home.”

The Harris hawk, formerly known as the bay-winged hawk or dusky hawk, is a medium-large bird of prey that breeds from the southwestern United States south to Chile, central Argentina, and Brazil. Birds are sometimes reported at large in western Europe, especially Britain, but it is a popular species in falconry and these records almost certainly all refer to escapes from captivity.

Anyone who recognises Evis is being urged to contact the Scottish SPCA’S helpline on 03000 999 999.