Owl rescue may still not save its life

Wallingford (WTNH) - A Great Horned Owl is rescued from a trap in Wallingford but it may not survive.

The owl is being cared for at Yalesville Veterinary Hospital after undergoing surgery to have its foot removed.

A few days ago, a woman called animal control about an owl that she saw trying to drag itself across Old Durham Road in Wallingford.

It turns out, the bird was caught in a hunters trap -- and it didn't have much longer to live.

"He was pretty emaciated and thin, so he probably hasn't eaten in a couple of days. He was probably struggling for a while, the foot was just hanging by a thread on both sides," Kathy Grasso, of Yalesville Veterinary Hospital, said. "The bone was completely shattered, and he was all covered in snow and debris and stuff, like he had been dragging it around for a while."

So far, there is no word on who set the trap. Great Horned Owls are protected in the U.S.

The Federal Fish and Wildlife Service may have to euthanize the bird unless it's determined that it can still hunt and survive in the wild.