Overview
- Officers responded after witness reports that a hawk attacked park visitors and dogs in the Kurpark in Heilbad Heiligenstadt.
- Investigators found the birds’ owner through witness interviews and say the aviary’s double lock had apparently been opened by unknown persons.
- Both the hawk and an also-escaped pheasant remain at large and have not yet been recaptured.
- Police have asked the public to report sightings and any information that could identify the suspected intruders or the birds’ whereabouts.
- Authorities warned that hawks can inflict serious injuries with their talons and beak and said the incident could lead to a criminal probe if deliberate tampering is confirmed.