The claim: Hawks are out in force; pets 12 pounds and under are in ‘real danger’
A viral Facebook post claims that park rangers and veterinarian offices have warned owners of small pets of trouble in the air.
“Park rangers and vet offices are putting out warnings. This year the hawks seem out in force,” reads a now deleted post by the page Mentone News & Information. “The pets that are in real danger are ones who are 12 pounds and under. These are the pets that hawks can swoop down and grab.”
The top of the image reads, “HAWK WARNING” in large red bold letters and the page captioned the image, “Keep a(n) eye on your small pet’s!”
Upon being contacted by USA TODAY, Mentone News & Information deleted the warning and said that a source should have been included in the post.
However, the same post has already been reshared by Facebook pages Jamie’s Animal Rescue on March 16 and Hardin County Humane Society in a March 14 post with over 12,000 shares.
“This is no joke! Predator birds such as Hawks and owls are in full force right now. Most of their ‘diet’ did not survive the freeze , so they are out hunting more than usual and desperate for food,” Jamie’s Animal Rescue wrote. “They don’t care if it’s domesticated or wild. It all tastes the same to them”
The posts do not specify a location or veterinarian office that sent out the alleged warning. Hardin County Humane Society said they had no comment. USA TODAY reached out to Jamie’s Animal Rescue for comment.
Fact…
