Hi Dave and everyone,



Interesting to hear from a DVM about this.? It is obviously hard to get anything but anecdoctal data in this regard.? I'll offer several of these anecdoctal data points.? First, here is an image link?I posted several years ago, so oldtimers on the listserv, please forgive.? This Northern Pygmy-Owl clearly was not in the urban legend category, as this photo was taken when it was in a tree ten feet from our kitchen window -
http://www.tubbsphoto.com/-/tubbsphoto/detail.asp?photoID=7036815&cat=38981 .? Shortly after this and other images were taken, the owl decided to eat its meal in a more private place and flew away with the House Sparrow across our back yard - it had no difficulty in moving its rather large meal, though it certainly wasn't as fast and maneuverable as it would have been if unencumbered.?



Secondly, here is a link to?one of the most amazing videos that you will ever see, filmed in the Pyrenees in Spain (thus the Spanish narrative), of Golden Eagles taken young mountain goats as prey - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yz7FFlFy8eM .? This link was also previously posted on Tweeters.? Clearly the goats taken in this video weigh substantially more than the eagles, although the eagles rely on soaring off the cliff, it's doubtful they could actually fly off under their own power with prey this large.



Finally, I'll send Dave contact info off-list for my friend whose dog got to experience a short flight courtesy of the Great Horned Owl so he?knows that story is not urban legend?- I suspect my friend still has pictures and possibly video of the dog's wounds.



John Tubbs

Snoqualmie, WA

johntubbs at comcast.net

www.tubbsphoto.com





----- Original Message -----
From: "Dave Parent" <dpdvm at whidbey.com>
To: tweeters at u.washington.edu
Sent: Thursday, January 28, 2010 5:19:51 PM GMT -08:00 US/Canada Pacific
Subject: [Tweeters] Do Raptors Really Pose a Threat to Pets?

Hello Tweeters, As a veterinarian who treats both cats and raptors, I have often wondered just how much a threat raptors pose to pets. Please, folks, do not take this posting as an opportunity to discuss the pros and cons of cats! That is not my intention. Please contact me off list if you'd like to discuss this subject. Many folks here on Whidbey Island "know" that any raptor is dangerous to cats and dogs but my 20+ years experience here doesn't support these claims. I just don't see cats and small dogs with wounds consistent with a raptor attack and my area is richly blessed with an assortment of large diurnal and nocturnal raptors. I have never received a first-hand, eyewitness report of a raptor attack on a cat or small dog. I have treated an unfortunate Red-Tailed Hawk who entered a chicken coop which housed a very large and very aggressive rooster. J A quick look through the Sibley Guide gave the following raptor weights; Red-Tailed Hawk - 2.4lb, Barred Owl - 1.6lb, Great Horned Owl - 3.1lb, and Bald Eagle 9.5lb. These weights are pretty characteristic of the raptors that I weigh here with some exceptions (like the giant Bald Eagle that weighed 13.5lb!) Most adult domestic cats weigh between 7 and 11lbs. A perusal of some of the more reputable raptor websites (where did they get their data?) state that Red-Tailed Hawks can carry one-half their body weight, Eagles one-third, and owls two to three times their body weights! If anyone knows of any hard data about owls carrying that amount, I'd like to see it. My only experience was with an 82gram Saw-Whet Owl which had killed a 21gram Song Sparrow and couldn't drag it off the road, let alone become airborne. It is a well-known fact (?) that Great-Horned Owls can kill and carry striped skunks. Can a three pound owl really carry a ten pound skunk to its nest or do they selectively pick on smaller skunks? I've regularly seen larger hawks and owls carrying the local Eastern Cottontail rabbits. I have examined dead or dying eagles which have been struck by cars while carrying teals because they couldn't maintain enough altitude to cross the highway. My conclusion; It's difficult to separate myth from reality and the myths are often fervently believed as if sacred doctrine. I believe that raptor attacks on cats and small dogs are unusual but do occur, as Mr. Sandelin has observed. Most cats are just too big, quick and dangerous for raptors to tangle with unless they are starving or otherwise desperate. Coyotes, on the other hand, are a significant cause of cat and small dog mortality here and I know that raptors are often unfairly blamed. Dave Parent, Freeland, WA
_______________________________________________ Tweeters mailing list Tweeters at u.washington.edu http://mailman2.u.washington.edu/mailman/listinfo/tweeters