Watch: Hawk captured after terrorizing English village for weeks

April 4 (UPI) — A Harris’ hawk’s reign of terror was brought to an end after being captured by a resident of the English village where it was blamed for an estimated 50 dive-bombing attacks on locals.

The non-native bird of prey has been blamed for dozens of attacks on the heads of unsuspecting residents, drawing blood in some cases. The Royal Mail said service in the area had been interrupted due to the risk to carriers.

The Harris’ hawk, native to North and South America, was finally captured by appropriately-named resident Steve Harris, 40.

“It’s a relief for us and the whole village,” Harris, who caught the hawk in a cage in his back yard, told the BBC.

“It had been chasing me around the village when I went for a run, and when I got back it flew down to the top of my shed,” he said. “The falconer had left me a cage. I was using it to protect myself and I got brave enough when the bird was about a foot away, and I threw it over the top of it, trapping it. I screamed out for the falconer to come and help, and he came and tamed it.”

Harris said his children had been barred from playing outside their home for several days due to the presence of the aggressive raptor.

“We’re about to pick the kids up from school. They’re going to be delighted they can go into the garden,” Harris told The Guardian.

Alan Greenhalgh, the falconer who helped Harris with the capture, said the bird is a young male and may have been acting aggressive due to being “hormonal.”

Greenhalgh said the bird is “as fat as a barrel” after being fed by villagers in their attempts to capture it.

Another falconer, who gave his name as Wayne, is now taking care of the hawk. He said dried-out leather tags on the avian’s feet indicate it has likely been on the loose for over a year.