Sad Ending for Owl Saved by Trooper

The barred owl rescued from the Massachusetts Turnpike by an alert State Trooper last fall had to be euthanized when its injuries proved too severe.

The bird had a severely comminuted fracture of his left humerus, which means the bone in its wing was very shattered. The severity of the injuries prevented the injury from healing, despite two surgeries at the Wildlife Clinic at

The bird was taken to Tufts after being found on the highway by Massachusetts Turnpike by Massachusetts State Police Trooper Michael Golenski and two environmental police officers.

With an unhealed fracture, the bird could not be released into the wild, said Thomas Keppeler, associate director for communications at the school.

The owl would not be a good candidate for captivity, either, because the wing would have been “a source of chronic pain,’’ Keppeler said.

“We do our best to get every animal we treat back to the wild if possible, but sadly, despite our best efforts for this bird, his injury was too severe,’’ Keppeler said.