The Seattle Seahawks mascot had a bit of an adventure before the team’s contest against the New York Giants today.
Taima, an Augur hawk, decided to deviate from his normal flight pattern around the stadium, instead turning directly into the crowd. The giant bird flapped over some frightened fans before coming to rest on the shoulder of a Seahawks fan .
So the Seahawks flew away from its handler and landed on the lady next to me!! See!! pic.twitter.com/osf4fgVpK4
— Brian Tom (@BrianTom) November 9, 2014
The Seattle Seahawks mascot was later reunited with his trainer, and the fans were reportedly all doing just fine.
The Hawk _ Taima I’m told _ is back with its handlers.
— Tim Booth (@ByTimBooth) November 9, 2014
The unscripted moment made the highlights, and fans around the hawk’s resting place snapped plenty of pictures to document the event. One of the fans actually struck by the bird even dared to pet it a bit.
Taima the hawk actually has a pretty big job on game days, leading the defending Super Bowl champions onto the field.
The team’s official site gives the details:
The newest member of the Seahawks family is Taima the Hawk. Named by Seahawks fans, Taima (which means “thunder”) is quickly becoming a fixture of Seahawks Sundays at CenturyLink Field. Since 2007 Taima has been the first one out of the tunnel leading the team on to the field before each home game.”
The site noted that Taima’s trainer, David Knutson, is an expert with more than 30 years handling and training birds of prey. He’s also worked with many government agencies and private groups on wildlife control issues (meaning his hawks help kill pests, normally).
But apparently even with an experienced trainer at the helm, the Seattle Seahawks mascot is going to fly into the crowd if he wants to. He is a bird, after all.
[Image courtesy of Sportspyder.com]
