Tennis balls aren’t the only thing you’ll see flying around the All England Lawn Tennis Club during the Wimbledon Championships. Before players step out onto the court, Rufus the hawk performs his aerial patrol to frighten away any pigeons in the area. Once the smaller birds spot the feathered predator making his rounds, they typically abandon the tennis club in favor of safer hangouts. Rufus has been at it for 15 years, but he’s not the first hawk on the job. That would be his predecessor, Hamish.
According to Good News Network, it became clear that Wimbledon needed some help with pest control in 1999, when a match was repeatedly interrupted by pigeons flying onto the field. Luckily, falconer Donna Davis happened to be watching the incident, which gave her an idea. Her family owns and operates Avian Environmental Consultants, which offers “bird control services utilizing the most environmentally friendly methods available,” their website says. So, Donna reached out with a proposal.
Now, Rufus is a staple of the annual tennis championships. However, he doesn’t just patrol the courts before games. Trainer Wayne Davis told the Los Angeles Times that he has to work year-round to remind the pigeons that he’s still around. Otherwise, they might come back during his absence.
“Birds are very adaptive; if it doesn’t physically affect their well-being, they’ll just ignore it,” said Wayne. “You could have a large falcon that would terrify everything, but after a couple days… if it doesn’t physically chase them and try to eat them and kill them, it’s not a threat.”
However, Wayne added that Rufus’s job is to scare pigeons, not hurt them. He doesn’t want the hawk to ever actually catch one.
“That’s what I’m trying to avoid, because imagine if he caught one down there on Centre Court,” he explained. “There would be feathers everywhere, carnage.”
Thankfully, Rufus is pretty well behaved, Donna told BBC News.
“People often comment on how relaxed and unfazed he is – that in itself says he’s not disturbed or perturbed by people being around. He’s just chilled with it all,” she said.
The news outlet reports that Rufus could be working another 10-20 years, as long as he’s healthy enough to do so. Donna added that the bird of prey seems to enjoy his job.
Watch the video below to learn more about Rufus and his responsibilities!
You can find the source of this story’s featured image here.
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