Beware, if it has a 6ft wingspan and piercing orange eyes, leave the bird alone
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Your support makes all the difference.One of the world's fiercest birds of prey has gone missing in a London suburb. Police are advising people not to approach Jazz, an eagle owl, if they spot his 6ft wingspan or piercing orange eyes.
The bird, kept as a pet by Mark Triphook, a fireman, slipped his leash while being exercised in Valentines Park, Ilford, east London, at the weekend and was mobbed by a flock of crows. He was last seen heading towards Ilford town centre in a distressed state.
Mr Triphook, who says Jazz is more a member of the family than a wild bird of prey, is concerned because the owl will now be hungry and on the lookout for small animals such as rabbits, or cats and dogs.
"He's very good-natured and he's not frightened of people, which is the downside when he's hungry because he won't be scared off," Mr Triphook said.
"He was fed before he disappeared so he's gone without food for three days. They can normally go without food for a little while before he gets desperately hungry. But he's always been well fed so he's not used to going without food."
Police said the bird could be dangerous if it felt threatened. Last year two even larger birds of prey – vultures – escaped from captivity and enjoyed brief freedom. Sydney, an African white-backed vulture from a Bedfordshire birds-of-prey park, got as far as Colchester, Essex, and Foster, a Ruppell's vulture, got out of Banham Zoo near Diss, Norfolk, for a week before being recaptured.
The Eurasian eagle own Bubo bubo is not to be trifled with. The world's largest owl, found from Spain to Siberia, it is a big, barrel-shaped bird that will take prey as large as deer.
It is often kept as a pet and birds that escape sometimes breed in the wild, even in Britain where it is not naturally found.
The species is often persecuted and numbers have declined across its range. A pair believed to be escapers have raised young for years near Catterick, Yorkshire.
The birds tend to need rocky areas with cliffs and gorges, rockfalls and caves, and a certain amount of tree cover.
Several exotic pets have made breaks for freedom. Iggy, a 4ft misogynistic iguana, escaped from its owners in Essex last July only to be recaptured three weeks later.
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