Heron with broken wing rescued at Medway farm, later euthanized due to its injuries

Norman Miller, The Milford Daily News
·2 min read

MEDWAY — An injured blue heron that was rescued last Thursday at a Lovering Street farm has died.

The heron, which was captured by Ashland fire Lt. Dave Iarussi on his farm, had to be euthanized at Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University in Grafton.

"It had a broken wing, but it was an old break that had healed up," said Iarussi. "That poor bird struggled for no one knows how long with the broken wing. It's sad."

The bird was originally spotted about a mile and a half from Iarussi's farm by a photographer about eight days prior to its capture. The photographer had taken photos and shared them with Medway Animal Control Officer Erin Mallette. The photographer then agreed to keep an eye out for the injured bird.

This blue heron was rescued at a Medway farm last week when it had a significant injury. It later had to be euthanized.
This blue heron was rescued at a Medway farm last week when it had a significant injury. It later had to be euthanized.

Iarussi had not heard about the bird but saw it on his farm on Thursday morning and decided to try to help it.

"I'm used to trying to wrangle animals here on the farm, so I grabbed a towel and tried to catch it," said Iarussi. "It took off running into the woods and I had to run after it. I finally caught it."

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It wasn't easy and the heron wasn't happy.

"I didn't realize those things would go right for the face," said Iarussi. "It kept trying to turn around and peck me in the face."

Iarussi contacted Mallette, who took the injured bird to Tufts in hopes it could survive.

Medway Animal Control Officer Erin Mallette said the call she received last week about a blue heron with a broken wing was the first she's received in seven years regarding that type of bird.
Medway Animal Control Officer Erin Mallette said the call she received last week about a blue heron with a broken wing was the first she's received in seven years regarding that type of bird.

Mallette said she was saddened to hear about the bird's demise, adding that herons aren't the type of animal she normally deals with.

"To be honest, in the seven years I've been doing this, this is the first one I've picked up," she said. "We do get a lot of raptors, like hawks, and we get a lot of racoon and fox calls."

Norman Miller can be reached at 508-626-3823 or nmiller@wickedlocal.com. For up-to-date public safety news, follow Norman Miller on Twitter @Norman_MillerMW or on Facebook at facebook.com/NormanMillerCrime.

This article originally appeared on The Milford Daily News: Blue heron with broken wing captured at Medway farm, later euthanized