Crossbow attack on duck
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A BUGLE animal lover was shocked and disgusted to discover his pet duck had been shot with a crossbow in a cold-hearted, vicious attack.When feeding his ducks last Monday morning, Richard Hickmott found a crossbow bolt sticking through one-year-old Jemima’s wing.
Richard, who keeps ducks, chicken, geese and and guinea fowl, immediately took her to Rock View Vets in Roche where she was examined and x-rayed.
Jemima, which Richard has had since she hatched, was anaesthetised and the bolt was removed.
He said: “I came out on Monday morning to feed the ducks as normal and a friend said to me “what’s that sticking out of the duck’s wing?” I could see something shiny and when we looked it was a bolt right up through her wing.
“We finally managed to catch hold of her and took her to the vets and we also called the Police and RSPCA as well.
The police and the RSPCA are very concerned and are currently investigating the incident.
"I am shocked and disgusted that someone could do that."
Although Jemima is making a good recovery, Richard fears for the safety of his other birds and is considering fencing off his land, which includes a popular fishing spot.
He added: “She seems fine after the whole incident now and is thankfully back running around with her mates, but I must now consider how this could have happened on my land.
“I lease the ground, some 20 acres in total, it belongs to Imerys and a lot of people fish in the lakes there. I haven’t got a problem with it and have allowed it to carry on so far, but now I must look at securing my property so that this sort of thing won’t happen again and that might include the fishing areas.”
Veterinary nurse at Rock View Vets, Denise March said : "I certainly haven't seen in my 10 to 12 years here a crossbow attack of any sort. It was quite horrifying to see this crossbow through the duck. When you first looked at it, we thought it wouldn't survive. It was very lucky, a few more centimetres either way and it wouldn't have.
"Shock is the biggest killer in any animal so it needed the emergency treatment, quick thinking is always the best option. But you should contact your vet first so they can be prepared."
