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Hawk rescued by 2 Phoenix police officers dies

Posted at 5:31 PM, Mar 10, 2016
and last updated 2016-03-10 21:46:34-05

Not all stories have a happy ending, but the intention behind this one is positive. 

On Wednesday night, Phoenix Police Officers Mike Buvala and John Scott were patrolling the Union Hills neighborhood when mechanics, who were working at a shop, approached the officers about a hawk that was stuck in asphalt. 

The workers told police the animal had been there for several hours. The officers made their way to the hawk and noticed the animal was covered in an oil-like substance. 

The officers stayed with the bird in an effort to keep people and cars away from it. Officials with Wild at Heartwere called out and successfully removed the animal. 

The bird was taken to a Wild at Heartrescue facility where it was bathed, and the oil was removed from the bird's wings.

Rescue officials told ABC15 the animal had ingested a lot of the oil, and its mouth was black. On Thursday morning, the bird was doing well, but later died. The rescue said they were surprised to see the hawk die after it appeared to be okay. 

The rescue thanks the Phoenix Police Department who helped rescue the animal and appreciate the two officers who stayed by the animal's side. 

This incident, as sad as it is, happened hours after another Phoenix police officer helped rescue a Chihuahua that made its way into a patrol car's undercarriage. The Chihuahua is recovering.