Salem Police Aid Injured Cooper's Hawk

For most injured wild animals, being discovered by a passing canine can be extremely dangerous.

But for a young Cooper's Hawk that was found in front of a Federal Street home Tuesday evening, being sniffed out by a local pooch may have saved its life.

It was just after 6 p.m. Tuesday when a local woman called the police station to report that her dog had found a young hawk under the bushes in her front yard and, despite all the barking, it wasn't moving.

Fearing it was injured, the woman reached out to local police and officer Michael Levesque responded to the scene, located the injured raptor and brought it back to the station for safe-keeping.

The following morning, the hawk was transported to Byfield, where it was handed over to Wildlife Rehab Specialist David Taylor.

When we last checked in with Taylor Wednesday night, the hawk, which he said has a cataract in its eye, was safe and sound in a cage and showing signs of improvement.

"The cataract probably makes it hard for him to get around," Taylor said. "Right now we're just trying to get him eating so he can get his strength back up."

Salem Patch will be sure to keep you posted on his recovery.