Conn. town warns residents about harmful hawk

[March 04, 2010]  STONINGTON, Conn. (AP) -- Authorities say an aggressive red-tailed hawk has attacked at least five people recently in a Connecticut town, including a woman who needed medical care after being cut on the head.

Police in Stonington, a shoreline town bordering Rhode Island, warned residents Wednesday by e-mail and through the town's reverse 911 system to watch out for the large hawk.

Recess and gym classes at a nearby school were held indoors.

Officials say the hawk has snatched a hat off a boy's head, snagged headphones from a man on a lawnmower and even attacked a car. On Tuesday, it gashed a woman's head so deeply that she was checked at a local hospital.

The state Department of Environmental Protection is working with the city to find the bird and determine what to do about its aggressive behavior.

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Information from: The Day, http://www.theday.com/

[Associated Press]

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