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Violet Of 'Hawk Cam' In Danger Of Losing Her Leg

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) -- The mother of a red-tailed hawk family featured on a popular New York City bird cam is suffering from a very serious injury.

The New York Times' "Hawk Cam" has been capturing the life of the hawk family on a window ledge on the NYU campus since April.

But now the mother bird, named Violet, is in danger of losing her right leg. A wildlife specialist, Dr. Elizabeth Bunting, fears the hawk may not survive.

Violet was seen hobbling around her nest in May, shortly after her hatchling, Pip, emerged. But she had leg problems even before the hawk cam began rolling.

Violet had severe leg swelling, which was apparently caused by a metal wildlife band that was attached months earlier.

New video shows Violet's right leg dangling uselessly. Her foot is gray and scaly from lack of blood flow.

Watch YouTube video taken of Violet in Washington Square Park below:

November 26, 2011 10 by palemaleandlima on YouTube

There also appears to be a broken bone protruding above the metal wildlife band on her shin.

No word if environmental officials plan to step in to help.

(TM and Copyright 2011 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2011 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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