CHELMSFORD, Mass. — A motorist found a hawk wedged in the grill of their SUV after crashing into the bird of prey while driving on a highway in Massachusetts on Thursday.
Troopers responding to a call from a motorist who had struck a red-tailed hawk on Interstate 495 north in Chelmsford just after 1 p.m. discovered the hawk lodged in the grill of a Honda that stopped at a rest area along the highway, according to Massachusetts State Police.
The troopers then called Massachusetts Environmental Police, Chelmsford Animal Control, and technicians from Nucar Honda of Westford to the scene to strategize on freeing the hawk.
Nucar technicians conducted a partial disassembly of the vehicle’s front, safely extricating the hawk from the grill, according to state police.
The hawk was said to be conscious and alert, only suffering from some ruffled feathers, when crews secured it in a cage for transport to the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University in Grafton for evaluation.
State police noted that the hawk showed no other signs of obvious injury.
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