SHREWBURY, Mass. — A Shrewsbury police officer was caught on camera stepping on an injured goose’s neck over the weekend and eventually euthanizing it.
It’s a story multiple viewers have reached out to Boston 25 News about.
The incident happened Sunday on South Quinsigamond Avenue just before 12:30 p.m.
Shrewsbury Police say officers on patrol observed a Canadian goose in severe distress on the side of the roadway.
Because it was a Sunday, the Animal Control Officer was not on duty.
According to Shrewsbury Police, the officers spoke with nearby residents and consulted the Animal Control Officer over the phone, determining that the goose was likely suffering from bird flu.
Officers made the decision to put the animal down, both for public safety reasons and to stop the bird from suffering.
Video sent to Boston 25 News shows one of the officer’s stepping on the injured animal’s neck.
Boston 25 News has chose not to show that portion of the video because of its graphic nature.
The goose was then shot twice by the Shrewsbury officer, however, the shots were not fatal and the animal continued moving around.
“At this point the officer on scene made the decision to try to avoid shooting the bird again,” Shrewsbury Police said. “This decision was made to attempt to prevent any possible injuries, and to attempt to prevent the bird’s blood from being splattered, which would have increased exposure risks to officers, bystanders and other wildlife. The officer then attempted a cervical dislocation of the goose’s neck by stepping on it, a tactic that was unsuccessful.”
The person who gave Boston 25 News the video says the goose’s neck was stepped on prior to the shots, and appeared to have been hit by a car before waddling to the side of the road.
A Massachusetts Environmental Police Officer (EPO) was called to the scene and put the goose down with a shotgun.
The EPO took the bird to be disposed of. It’s unclear if any blood tests were done on the goose prior to disposal.
Boston 25 News reached out for Shrewsbury Police’s protocol when dealing with an injured bird, but did not receive a response.
The Massachusetts Environmental Police says their protocol for responding to an injured or sick animal depends on several factors, including species, size, location, and the extent of the injury.
Shrewsbury Police say Animal Control has removed at least 12 waterfowl from the area of Lake Quinsigamond and Flint Pond that were suspected of having bird flu since January.
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