/ 9 April 2014

Sylvia the hawk hired to protect Pope’s doves

Sylvia The Hawk Hired To Protect Pope's Doves

A intrepid hawk has been taken on by the Vatican to protect the pope's doves after two were killed in front of shocked crowds by a crow and seagull, according to a Catholic weekly.

The eagle-eyed bird of prey named Sylvia, who was specially trained in northern Italy for the task, has been taken on by the Swiss Guards according to a report in Credere, which will be published Thursday.

It is hoped the Harris hawk, with a wingspan of 120cm, will scare off predators looking to make a quick meal of a holy dove.

Tradition
The doves are traditionally released from the Vatican a few times a year as signs of peace, but when two children let fly the white-feathered birds from the window above St Peter's Square on January 26 this year the birds immediately came under attack.

The doves did not survive the brutal mid-air collision.

The use of birds of prey to keep unwanted pests away is not new: they have been used around airports, and at football stadiums to get rid of pigeons before matches. They have also been deployed in the Colosseum to preserve the monument from pigeon droppings. – Sapa-AFP