Air Force Academy's Falcon Mascot Will Be Back In Action Thursday

BY COLORADO PUBLIC RADIO STAFF NOV 21, 2018

Aurora, the 22-year-old gyrfalcon mascot of the Air Force Academy, will be back in action this Thursday after recovering from injuries sustained when a student prank went wrong earlier this month.

Air Force football will take on Colorado State University Thanksgiving Day at 1:30 p.m. in Colorado Springs, and Aurora will be there to greet fans.

“She likes getting her picture taken with a bunch of people,” said Joseph Kloc, an Air Force senior and member of the elite falconry club. “She's a little bit of a diva.”

Aurora also made an appearance at Air Force’s game against New Mexico on Nov. 10, Kloc said, but didn’t travel to the University of Wyoming in Laramie last week because of icy weather.

The falcon was injured when two West Point students stuffed her and another bird into dog crates before the rivalry football game Nov. 3. Aurora bloodied a wing, likely thrashing around in the crate, before the students turned the birds over.

While football-game pranks are a time-honored tradition between military schools, they’ve never before involved birds. That’s according to the recollection of Lt. Col Don Rhymer, who runs the falconry. He was “ecstatic” to see how Aurora was recovering.

Continued  

Air Force's falcon mascot reportedly kidnapped and injured in pre-game prank

Aurora reportedly stolen by West Point cadets before game

Air Force and Army played college football game this weekend

Guardian sport

Sun 4 Nov 2018 13.27 GMTLast modified on Sun 4 Nov 2018 13.29 GMT

 

Air Force’s mascot is a white gyrfalcon, similar to this

one photographed in the Canadian Arctic. 

Photograph: BBC/Ian McCarthy/BBC

Air Force’s mascot, a 22-year-old white gyrfalcon name Aurora, may have to be euthanized after she was kidnapped in a prank by West Point cadets in the run-up to a college football game this weekend.

Troy Garnhart, the associate athletic director for communications at the Air Force academy, told the Colorado Springs Gazette that Aurora had been taken from a colonel’s house before the annual rivalry game between Air Force and Army on Saturday. Army were hosting the game between the two military academies at Michie Stadium and won 17-14.

“USAFA mascot Aurora was injured over the weekend and is being transported back to Colorado,” academy spokesman Lt Col Tracy Bunko told the Gazette. “We have specialists at the academy who have the best training and facilities for her care. She is part of our academy family and we are all hoping for her full and speedy recovery.”

An academy source told the Gazette that Aurora may have to be euthanized due to her advanced age – gyrfalcon typically live to around 25.

The US Navy and Army academies have a long history of stealing each other’s mascots – goats and mules respectively. However, no one had ever stolen Air Force’s falcon before.

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King penguin made a Brigadier in Edinburgh

22 August 2016

A King penguin at Edinburgh Zoo has been made a Brigadier by the King of Norway's Guard.

Nils Olav was given the honour by members of the Norwegian guard who are performing at the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo.

There have been three penguins called Nils Olav at the zoo, which have been mascots of the Norwegian King's Guard since 1972.

The second Nils Olav was knighted in 2008.

Brig David Allfrey, producer and chief executive of The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo, said: "This is just a simply fantastic example of the great relations between our two countries, and it couldn't be a more charming tradition.

"At the Tattoo we of course have many inspecting officers but this is by far my favourite. Congratulations, Brigadier Olav."

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