Toms River Dog Owner On Edge After Close Call With Hungry Hawk
TOMS RIVER, N.J. (CBSNewYork) -- Hungry hawks are targeting pets in southern New Jersey, leaving beloved animals scarred and owners scared.
Little Snowball has a big bark, but at just over seven pounds he's never felt more fear than after neighboring hawks tried to prey on him recently.
Snowball's owner, Christine Newman, thinks they moved in around February.
"This happened in a matter of seconds," she told CBS2's Jessica Layton. "He's one of the lucky ones."
It happened while Christine and Snowball were on a walk. They weren't even 20 feet from their property when three hawks started circling above their heads.
One swooped down and got way too close for comfort.
"They were clearly eyeing him up and following us as we walked," Newman said. "I felt nervous for him."
Christine says she scooped Snowball up in her arms and ran in the house, then posted a warning about the wild encounter that was shared nearly 20,000 times. Amy Olsen just couldn't believe it happened to someone else.
Olsen and her family found a black cat named Bean injured on top of their pool cover this spring and took her to the vet.
"Said she had been attacked by an eagle or hawk or some kind of big bird based on the puncture wound she had," she said. "There's no way to tell where she came from. We think she was dropped from up high because she broke her hip."
Wildlife experts say the hawks are simply hungry, and while attacks on tiny pets are more typical in winter, this spring season has been unusual.
"I've never seen it this bad," John Nesti, owner of Fish & Wildlife Control & Repairs, said. "Anybody with a lap animal or a cat that goes outside should be prepared because these hawks are hungry and ready to feed."
Pet owners need to keep their small dogs and cats close while keeping a close eye on the sky.
