Rufus the Hawk is a Harris’s Hawk and for the past 15 years has been scaring away birds during Wimbledon. This year he has taken on a new role as Head of Seagull Security at the Southampton International Boat Show.
The role has come about following new research that showed seagulls have been directly responsible for 60 million chip thefts in the UK which if laid end to end would reach from Southampton to Canada and weigh as much as 74 London buses!
With Southampton recording one of the highest rates of chip theft in the UK, with nearly half of residents having been victim of thievery (44%) Rufus will be on hand tackling chip thievery head-on at the show to create a space where visitors can enjoy their chips in peace.
He will be at the show on Saturday 14 September. Look out for him patrolling the skies or drop by the Shipyard to see him up close and perhaps grab a selfie with the UK’s most famous hawk.
