One of the most interesting personalities at the All England Club has been Rufus. It is a hawk which has the job to scare away pigeons from the Club during the Wimbledon Championships. It is an American Harris hawk, which was raised in Northampton shire.
He is considered an important part of the Wimbledon family. During this season’s Championships, Rufus competed 15 years of service at the All England Club. Prior to him, there was another hawk known by the name Hamish. He wakes up at 5am and is the first one to be present on the Centre Court.
How Rufus Helps Keep Wimbledon on Track
Rufus is on duty the entire year, patrolling the 42-acre grounds. Usually, pigeons choose the Centre Court roof as a place to sit on which is when his role comes into play. He was also employed to scare away pigeons from Westminster Abbey and other airfields too.
Rufus is quiet popular amongst tennis fans and has his own Twitter handle, Rufus the hawk, with over 11,000 followers. He even has over 4000 followers on Instagram. This guardian has truly become an integral part of the Wimbledon family.
His sharp eyesight has earned him the role to protect the grass court of Wimbledon, especially during the fortnight of the tournament. Nowadays, his presence is enough to keep the pigeons and other hindrances at bay.
And this year marks Rufus’ 15th year of service.
Rufus began his journey at the All England Club in 2008; however, he went missing in 2012. Much to everyone’s delight, he returned back three days later, with a sore leg. He was stolen from the back of his owners car and was found in the Club eventually.
Interestingly, another hawk was found three months ago near Rockingham Forest. They did an online poll after which they decided to name her Rhea. She is being trained and will work with Rufus from next years Championships.
