A snake is stolen, and sheep wander in Southie
Every day, police officers respond to reports of all sorts of events and nonevents, most of which never make the news. Here is a sampling of lesser-known — but no less noteworthy — incidents from police log books (a.k.a. blotters) in our communities.
BIRD IN AN AUTO BODY SHOP
An injured red-tailed hawk recently ended up at an auto body shop in Brockton, bleeding and unable to fly. “We’re not sure how he got there, but the business owners were kind enough to call animal control for help, and they delivered him to our hospital,” Cape Wildlife Center officials wrote on Instagram and Facebook on Dec. 7. “The cause of his injury was not a mystery for long. Upon X-raying him our team found several bullets lodged in the wing and pectoral muscles.” Sadly, the folks at the Cape Wildlife Center said they see this kind of injury all too often, because red-tailed hawks have a tendency for going after chickens and livestock, and sometimes the human owners will shoot at them with BB guns, pellet guns, or actual firearms. “While we understand the need to keep all pets and livestock safe, this is not the way,” they wrote. “In addition to being awesome and important links in our local ecosystem, all species of hawks are considered migratory birds and are federally protected species.” If you own backyard chickens or livestock, there are other ways to keep them safe from predators. Cape Wildlife Center officials suggest using scarecrows, flags, pinwheels, windsocks, and other visual deterrents. Planting low canopy cover also can help, and they said having a covered run is “the gold standard” for keeping animals safe. As far as the hawk found in Brockton goes, he was pretty lucky: the bullets missed his vital organs and didn’t break any of his bones, but Cape Wildlife Center officials noted that one of the projectiles hit a carpal joint in the hawk’s wing, which caused swelling and damage to the surrounding tissue. “Our team cleaned the wounds and has bandaged the wing in order to stabilize the joint and give it the best possible chance at healing,” they wrote. “We have also given supportive medications to control pain and swelling. We are hopeful the wing will regain full range of motion, but only time will tell. Until then we will do everything we can to help.”
SHEEP ON THE LOOSE — IN SOUTHIE!
Faithful readers of the Globe’s “Blotter Tales” column know that sheep occasionally like to wander away from their homes and venture out into surrounding neighborhoods. This usually happens in more rural communities and far-flung suburbs, not in the bustling metropolis of Boston. But that’s what happened on Christmas Eve in South Boston. At about 4 p.m., Boston police were called to an area near Andrew Square to help apprehend two sheep — one black, one white — that had escaped from a Christmas nativity scene event taking place nearby. With the help of civilians, police were able to successfully corral the sheep and take them into custody, according to Sergeant Detective John Boyle, a police spokesperson. A video of the white sheep’s capture was posted to the 911 ERV Instagram and Facebook pages (the letters stand for Emergency Response Visuals, and their website and social media channels feature great photos of first responders in action), and it shows police trying to corner the elusive animal. Once the sheep was secured, an officer talks into his radio, saying words he probably thought he’d never say: “We have that sheep in custody over on Preble Street,” he said, before bursting into laughter. “We’ll put him in the back of my cruiser and take him back to where he’s supposed to be.”
REPTILIAN ROBBERY
Police in Westford have been investigating an interesting theft from a pet store. It happened at around noon Dec. 12 at the Petco at 11 Cornerstone Square, when a man allegedly took a snake from one of the habitats on display and left without paying for it. Police described the missing reptile as a Colombian red-tailed boa, and shared photos on Facebook of the suspected thief and two women who appeared to be working with him during the theft. “It appears that the male party was working in conjunction with two females who were actively distracting one of the Petco employees while he took the snake,” police wrote. “The Westford Police Department is looking to identify the three individuals.” If you recognize them or have any relevant information, contact Officer John Lincoln at 978-399-2345.