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A buzzard captured in Dinant due to its aggression towards humans
Yesterday at 4:32 PM
An aggressive buzzard was captured Thursday morning in Dinant. According to Mayor Richard Fournaux (MR), 23 people have been attacked by this bird in nearly a month.
By Serge Otthiers and Belga
...
To accomplish this, the Dinant municipal authorities called upon a falconer. " It was captured using a light trap ," explained the mayor. " The trap contained mice and a thin net that fell on top of it, preventing its escape. It wasn't injured. " The bird's behavior had become too problematic for Richard Fournaux. "It was attacking people in the city center. Some people were scratched until they bled. A choice had to be made regarding public safety. "
The buzzard was entrusted to the Wildlife Rehabilitation Center in Namur. Its director, Romain de Jaegere, understands its capture. "It's a bit paradoxical for us to take it in. We usually take in injured animals with the aim of releasing them back into the wild. This animal wasn't injured, but it had been attacking students in the playground and people in the city center for several days." The center was able to verify this aggression. "We carried out the initial examinations, and it's in perfect health. It is indeed quite aggressive and not very docile when handled. We did blood tests and tests for avian flu, and in the meantime, it's safe with us." What will happen to the animal now? "The goal is to release it in a few days or weeks, probably in a new location, but we need to discuss this with the authorities."
https://www.rtbf.be/article/une-bus...e-son-agressivite-envers-les-humains-11700668
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The Dinant buzzard has been captured.
Published on: 26/03/2026 10:25:00 - Updated: 26/03/2026 16:47:14
UPDATE: According to Creaves, the buzzard is doing well. It was captured this Thursday around 8:45 a.m. in the hills above the city. It had attacked a passerby in early March.
"The buzzard was captured this Thursday morning between Wespin and the Bellevue woods," explains the mayor of Dinant, Richard Fournaux.
For the past few weeks, the animal had been making headlines due to its behavior, described as aggressive and highly territorial. One person had even been attacked near the collegiate church.
Richard Fournaux explains:
The bird was captured using a trap without harming it. This was a collaborative effort between the Department of Nature and Forests (DNF), the falconer we had hired, and a city environmental officer. The Creaves wildlife research center in Namur will take charge of the buzzard to try to understand its behavior.
We were able to contact the Dinant environmental officer, who was present on site, for more details:
A DNF (Department of Nature and Forests) agent set up this trap, which consists of mice placed on the ground. It's a net that closes on the buzzard when the bird touches a mouse. We had prepared the trap for a long time; we were going to feed the buzzard there. It was already attracted to it and came regularly. This morning, it was captured around 8:30 or 8:45.
" There is no nest "
Several citizens are concerned about the fate of a possible nest following the capture. According to observations, there isn't one, explains the officer:
The Creaves research center in Temploux will observe her to determine the cause of her behavior. From the beginning, the assumption has been that she is a buzzard that has been "imprinted by humans," likely raised in captivity. What is clear, in any case, is that there is no nest.
Update at 4:30 PM: According to Creaves, the buzzard is doing well
The bird of prey was indeed examined at the Creaves center in Namur, located in Temploux, confirms its coordinator Romain De Jaeger, interviewed by our colleagues from Boukè.
We examined her and did the initial tests. She's actually in excellent health, very energetic, and quite aggressive. We noticed this when we handled her. We did some blood and saliva tests to check for any illnesses, and once we have the results, we can consider the next steps. But for now, she's safe at home in an aviary and doing very well.
What happens next? Is a release planned? Where?
Generally, a wildlife rehabilitation center (CREAVES) intervenes when an animal is injured, and its goal is to release animals back into the wild once they have recovered. This case is a bit unusual. I think it's the first time we've taken in an uninjured animal, one that, under normal circumstances, wouldn't have needed to be taken to a rehabilitation center, but the situation made it quite problematic. So, I can't tell you exactly what we're going to do yet, but we'll be contacting the relevant authorities and discussing the best course of action with the Department of Nature and Forests and other experts in this area.
The area where she was located is indeed typical habitat for a buzzard, bordering a rather beautiful forest. But she didn't seem to stay there and kept moving further and further towards the town center, which was a problem. This also shows that coexistence between wildlife and humans is becoming increasingly difficult, that we are encroaching more and more on animal territory. This kind of behavior towards humans from wild animals sometimes happens, and it could happen even more in the future, given that urbanization is not decreasing.
Resolve the question of a potential nest?
Potentially, she has a nest, but buzzards sometimes reuse the same nest for several years. However, there are competent people who have been monitoring the situation for several days. If the nest had been occupied and there had been eggs or chicks, we would know. All the signs pointed to capturing her. I think everything has been checked in that regard, and there are no chicks at the moment.
https://www.matele.be/la-buse-de-dinant-a-ete-capturee
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Screenshots:
https://www.facebook.com/r.fournaux
A buzzard captured in Dinant due to its aggression towards humans
Yesterday at 4:32 PM
An aggressive buzzard was captured Thursday morning in Dinant. According to Mayor Richard Fournaux (MR), 23 people have been attacked by this bird in nearly a month.
By Serge Otthiers and Belga
...
To accomplish this, the Dinant municipal authorities called upon a falconer. " It was captured using a light trap ," explained the mayor. " The trap contained mice and a thin net that fell on top of it, preventing its escape. It wasn't injured. " The bird's behavior had become too problematic for Richard Fournaux. "It was attacking people in the city center. Some people were scratched until they bled. A choice had to be made regarding public safety. "
The buzzard was entrusted to the Wildlife Rehabilitation Center in Namur. Its director, Romain de Jaegere, understands its capture. "It's a bit paradoxical for us to take it in. We usually take in injured animals with the aim of releasing them back into the wild. This animal wasn't injured, but it had been attacking students in the playground and people in the city center for several days." The center was able to verify this aggression. "We carried out the initial examinations, and it's in perfect health. It is indeed quite aggressive and not very docile when handled. We did blood tests and tests for avian flu, and in the meantime, it's safe with us." What will happen to the animal now? "The goal is to release it in a few days or weeks, probably in a new location, but we need to discuss this with the authorities."
https://www.rtbf.be/article/une-bus...e-son-agressivite-envers-les-humains-11700668
-----------------------------------------------------------
The Dinant buzzard has been captured.
Published on: 26/03/2026 10:25:00 - Updated: 26/03/2026 16:47:14
UPDATE: According to Creaves, the buzzard is doing well. It was captured this Thursday around 8:45 a.m. in the hills above the city. It had attacked a passerby in early March.
"The buzzard was captured this Thursday morning between Wespin and the Bellevue woods," explains the mayor of Dinant, Richard Fournaux.
For the past few weeks, the animal had been making headlines due to its behavior, described as aggressive and highly territorial. One person had even been attacked near the collegiate church.
Richard Fournaux explains:
The bird was captured using a trap without harming it. This was a collaborative effort between the Department of Nature and Forests (DNF), the falconer we had hired, and a city environmental officer. The Creaves wildlife research center in Namur will take charge of the buzzard to try to understand its behavior.
We were able to contact the Dinant environmental officer, who was present on site, for more details:
A DNF (Department of Nature and Forests) agent set up this trap, which consists of mice placed on the ground. It's a net that closes on the buzzard when the bird touches a mouse. We had prepared the trap for a long time; we were going to feed the buzzard there. It was already attracted to it and came regularly. This morning, it was captured around 8:30 or 8:45.
" There is no nest "
Several citizens are concerned about the fate of a possible nest following the capture. According to observations, there isn't one, explains the officer:
The Creaves research center in Temploux will observe her to determine the cause of her behavior. From the beginning, the assumption has been that she is a buzzard that has been "imprinted by humans," likely raised in captivity. What is clear, in any case, is that there is no nest.
Update at 4:30 PM: According to Creaves, the buzzard is doing well
The bird of prey was indeed examined at the Creaves center in Namur, located in Temploux, confirms its coordinator Romain De Jaeger, interviewed by our colleagues from Boukè.
We examined her and did the initial tests. She's actually in excellent health, very energetic, and quite aggressive. We noticed this when we handled her. We did some blood and saliva tests to check for any illnesses, and once we have the results, we can consider the next steps. But for now, she's safe at home in an aviary and doing very well.
What happens next? Is a release planned? Where?
Generally, a wildlife rehabilitation center (CREAVES) intervenes when an animal is injured, and its goal is to release animals back into the wild once they have recovered. This case is a bit unusual. I think it's the first time we've taken in an uninjured animal, one that, under normal circumstances, wouldn't have needed to be taken to a rehabilitation center, but the situation made it quite problematic. So, I can't tell you exactly what we're going to do yet, but we'll be contacting the relevant authorities and discussing the best course of action with the Department of Nature and Forests and other experts in this area.
The area where she was located is indeed typical habitat for a buzzard, bordering a rather beautiful forest. But she didn't seem to stay there and kept moving further and further towards the town center, which was a problem. This also shows that coexistence between wildlife and humans is becoming increasingly difficult, that we are encroaching more and more on animal territory. This kind of behavior towards humans from wild animals sometimes happens, and it could happen even more in the future, given that urbanization is not decreasing.
Resolve the question of a potential nest?
Potentially, she has a nest, but buzzards sometimes reuse the same nest for several years. However, there are competent people who have been monitoring the situation for several days. If the nest had been occupied and there had been eggs or chicks, we would know. All the signs pointed to capturing her. I think everything has been checked in that regard, and there are no chicks at the moment.
https://www.matele.be/la-buse-de-dinant-a-ete-capturee
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Screenshots:
https://www.facebook.com/r.fournaux