A Seattle Seahawks fan getting ready to settle in and watch his favorite team take on the Los Angeles Rams Thursday night was greeted by an unexpected visitor looking to take his seat.
Taima the Hawk was caught scraping its talons on the man’s head. The broadcast caught the incident and showed the clip before the game went to commercial.
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It didn’t appear the man was seriously injured. The Seahawks didn’t immediately respond to Fox News’ request for comment.
Taima the Hawk of the Seattle Seahawks during the NFL season opener against the San Francisco 49ers at Qwest Field Sept. 12, 2010 in Seattle, Wash.
(Photo by Otto Greule Jr/Getty Images)
According to the Seahawks’ website, Taima is an Augur Hawk that was hatched in April 2005 and has a 4-foot, 5-nch wingspan. Taima has a “head and tail separated by a creme chest with a unique creme throat with black stripe.”
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David Knutson is the master falconer who handles Taima. The Spokane, Washington, native has more than three decades of training and experience handling birds like Taima. The Seahawks fan has been “performing with a live hawk at Seahawks games since the opening season of our current stadium.”
Taima the Hawk, mascot for the Seattle Seahawks, rests on the arm of Dave Knutson after the Seahawks 43-8 win over the Denver Broncos during the 2014 Super Bowl at MetLife Stadium Feb. 2, 2014 in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
(Photo by Jeff Gross/Getty Images)
Knutson told the Associated Press in 2013 he had put the bird through some rigorous challenges before feeling good enough to have it fly around the Seahawks’ stadium, now known as Lumen Field. He said he exposed the bird to stressful situations so the animal could get accustomed to an NFL environment.
“I needed the bird to not leave the stadium,” he told the AP at the time. “I didn’t want to be that guy yelling, ‘Come back.’”
Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson looks to pass against the Los Angeles Rams during the first quarter at Lumen Field.
(Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports)
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Lumen Field is one of the most electric stadiums in the NFL. The Seahawks were looking to get an advantage in the division with a victory over the Rams.
