They had done everything right up to that point: carefully capturing the bird with a blanket to avoid further injury, placing it in a covered box to transport it to their office, and then placing the box in a dark, cool, quiet place to keep the hawk calm.

After I arrived at the office and assessed the situation, I called the Fish & Game Department to find out where I should take the bird for evaluation and care, and they recommended the veterinary clinic pictured above, where the photos were taken, because that clinic had a doctor who specialized in wildlife rehabilitation and care.

When I arrived at the clinic, the doctor wasn't there, so the person running the front desk checked us in, had me sign a release form, and quickly examined the bird herself. (I have no idea if she had any medical expertise in the area of raptors or not. She appeared to simply be a receptionist.) She concluded that the hawk seemed to have a fractured wing and would most likely be put down. She said it was doubtful that the vet would even bother to x-ray the bird because of where the break in the wing was located (humerus). Two days later, I called the clinic to inquire about the bird and was told that yes, it had been euthanized.

Color me idealistic, but after watching shows on the Animal Planet channel like "Wildlife Emergency" and "Wild Rescues" and knowing a little bit about raptor rehab myself from independent study, I have to admit that I was shocked at this kind of attitude toward the injured bird. I've since read on more than one rehabber website that veterinary clinics are the worst places that you can take a wild animal because they don't really care about them since they don't make any money healing them.

Perhaps my attitude about saving injured wild animals is impractical, but I thought that the vet would at least attempt to set the bird's broken wing and allow it to heal to see if it could fly again instead of simply noting that it had a broken wing and putting it down.

I will never make the mistake of taking an injured wild animal directly to a vet again; I will contact a licensed wildlife rehabilitator who will try everything possible to save the animal's life and make sure that euthanasia is used only as a last resort.