Hawk Hit, Mended and Released to the Skies

Workers for the Calabasas based California Wildlife Center release a red-tailed hawk back to the wild.

They released the male bird in Hollywood, where he had been discovered hobbling in an alley with a busted left leg. The bird had evidently been hit by a car.

It took a month of mending at the CWC before going back to his Hollywood hometown.

“He came from this area. We always try to bring hawks back to where they came from because they are familiar with the territory,” said Kristin Joseph, a wildlife hospital technician told the L.A. Times

It’s unclear exactly how the bird was injured, but Joseph guessed that it was hit by a car as it flew down to grab a rodent with its talons. “Hawks fly with their legs dangling down. He could have hit the top of the car,” Joseph said.

Center said they rescue about 2,100 wild animals and birds last year. However, many are killed because they either couldn’t recover from their injuries and could not be adopted.