ANIMAL rescuers fear a sadist armed with a crossbow shot a goose and then pulled the bolt out to fire again.
Shocking pictures show two bloodied geese with puncture wounds thought to have been caused by a crossbow bolt.
The birds were rescued and are being cared for at a wildlife hospital, where a vet filmed a short clip showing the victims of the attack, sitting limp on towels.
The incident happened at a pond in Epping, Essex on Saturday afternoon.
The animals were handed over to the South Essex Wildlife Hospital after a supporter found the brown goose standing over the white goose shortly after the crime.
The hospital posted the photo in the early hours of yesterday morning saying: “Found by one of our supporters who was, unsurprisingly very distressed, these two geese appear to have been deliberately and brutally injured.
“From X-rays we think they have been shot with a crossbow, the shooter has then pulled out the arrow or used the same one to shoot again.”
They added: “They are not wild birds so it’s possibly due to their more trusting nature that the person responsible was able to get so close to both of them.
“They were found with the brown one standing over the white one. It has taken a lot of time and resources to try and save these poor victims of a despicable crime.”
One horrific photo shows both geese sitting on a table with blood streaming down from their heads.
The brown goose appears to have blood pouring from its eye whilst its beak and feathers are covered in its blood.
The white goose seems to be unresponsive as its head is slouched on the table as a small red blood mark can be seen clearly on the top of its head.
Jason Shanaman said: “I hope someone finds who did it and smashes their heads in. Just for starters!”
Jane Sales added: “Time has come for punishment for such crimes to become so much that no person would even think of doing such a thing. I pray you can help these two. I also ask that the culprits die a ghastly death.”
Jane Hale wrote: “Poor birds. Whoever did this is an evil piece of s* who doesn’t deserve to be on this planet breathing.”
Lee Hardiman said: “This act of cruelty needs to stop. Who in their right mind gets excitement from doing this to innocent animals. I really hope they both make it through the night and then start to make a recovery. Please keep us informed of any progress and thank you for all your efforts.”
Sue Deacon added: “No words. What the actual f*** is wrong with people that do this to innocent animals? What possible ‘kick’ can these monsters get from inflicting pain on another living creature?”
Vet Tom Linsel provided a video update on the health of the birds. Tom revealed that the white goose was on medication and “still very poorly”. He said the grey bird was faring better and had even laid an egg.
Charity founder of the South Essex Wildlife Hospital, Sue Schwar, said: “We are disgusted by the injuries. We would very much like to see some legislations brought in to stop these weapons from getting into the hands of mindless idiots.”
She added: “I cannot say for definite as I am not a forensic scientist however the severe puncture wounds are consistent to that of a crossbow arrow having dealt with similar injuries before.
“The injuries were caused by a high powered, high range weapon which has left a hole in the head of the birds the size of a pencil.”
A spokeswoman for the RSPCA said: “This is a very disturbing incident and we really hope the geese recover. We would urge anyone with information to contact the local police or the RSPCA’s cruelty line on 0300 1234 999.”
People can help the birds in their recovery by donating to the South Essex Wildlife Hospital.
