This is the moment a red kite swooped down on a woman’s dog in a Croxley park, attacking it.
In a video shared to the Rickmansworth, Chorleywood, Croxley Green & Villages Community Facebook group, the bird of prey can be seen flying along with a fellow member of its species, before lunging at the pooch. The person filming then screams as the bird hits her pet, at which point the video ends.
The resident who filmed the incident, Laura Graham, says she was out walking her dog at Barton Way Park,
She also shared a warning to other residents along with the video, stating:
“A red kite has just swooped down on my dog, it hit him on the back, startled him and he ran, it then went at him again. My dog is not small. I wanted to warn anyone that uses the park to be on guard, especially with small children as I can imagine they could easily be targeted.
“I know of two other dogs recently that it has also happened to, so it is not an isolated attack.
“I’m trying to find the right person to report it to, but please keep an eye on your pets and children in this area.”
Though red kites are beautiful, and are protected as part of one of the world’s longest-running protection programmes, they are still dangerous and have been known to attack humans and dogs before.
Thought it was a hare or large rabbit.