A key piece of the fan experience at SoFi Stadium was stolen on Sunday prior to the Los Angeles Rams’ football game: Hawks.
According to ABC 7, a UTV and two hawks were stolen from right outside SoFi Stadium. The hawks, Alice and Bubba, are trained to fly above the stadium, deterring other birds from flying in the area and possibly dropping waste onto the fans or swooping in to steal concessions.
Falconer Charles Cogger is the birds’ handler, and he did manage to retain his third hawk, Hope. Said Cogger, “I've really been struggling for the last 24 hours. A lot of tears.”
Nearby vendors alerted Cogger to the theft. Witnesses identified a Black male wearing dark clothing as the thief. Police have reportedly not made any arrests in the case at this time, but the UTV was found on Tuesday in a South L.A. neighborhood.
According to NBC Los Angeles, while the UTV was recovered, the hawks were not. Police did identify two dead birds near the UTV, but Cogger confirmed that those were the remains of quails — not hawks — likely used to feed Alice and Bubba.
“They can only go so long without eating or getting water. I really need to get them back,” said Cogger.
Cogger’s hawks are federally protected animals worth thousands of dollars. Each of his hawks wears a metal band around their leg that identifies them through a series of numbers and labels them as captive-bred.
“If you could please turn them in to a police department or SPCA, any of those agencies will know how to get them back to me. If you don’t, they will die. That will hurt so much,” said Cogger.
