Rabbit found shot with arrow, for second time in a month

CALGARY- A hare has been found shot with an arrow, for the second time in one month.

The rabbit was found over the weekend in the southwest community of Crestmont, suffering from such terrible injuries that it had to be put down.

“Her lower jaw was shattered into several pieces, all of her teeth were broken and the massiter muscle was torn,” says Diane Wittney from the Alberta Institute for Wildlife Conservation. “There was absolutely no way to repair it. So we had to put her to sleep. I guess the good news is, no more pain and suffering, because she was in agony.”

The discovery came just one week after another hare was found in the community of Douglasdale, where its believed the animal had been suffering from an arrow lodged in its side for a month. It survived, and is now recovering at a local wildlife centre.

Staff say they have seen a disturbing increase in the number of deliberate injuries to wildlife.

“We deal with some pretty horrific injuries all the time, and a lot of time they are accidental,” Wittney explains. “But when it’s intentional, it’s a lot harder on all of us because they are completely avoidable and inexcusable.”

Often, animals aren’t killed outright and are left to die from infection or starvation.

The target practice arrows found in both hares have been turned over to the authorities, and charges of animal cruelty could be laid. It is also illegal to discharge any kind of firearm in the city.