Investigation launched after great blue heron shot in Vancouver

The B.C. Conservation Officer Service is investigating after a great blue heron was shot in Vancouver.

Blue herons are classified as “vulnerable” by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada and are protected under the B.C. Wildlife Act and the federal Migratory Birds Convention Act.

The B.C. COS says it was called on Wednesday by a member of the public with reports of the injured bird in the city’s Southlands neighbourhood.

Conservation officer Lonnie Schoenthal said officers were able to locate the bird, which was clearly hurt.

“He did have an injured wing. He was still able to fly but not for long. He couldn’t sustain flight,” Schoenthal said.

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“You could tell that there were issues with him when he was flying. So he did hop from yard to yard, and it did take a little bit for us to capture him but we did corral him against some thorny bushes and were able to capture him.”

Schoenthal said it is the first time he’s heard of a heron that had been shot, and that it is neither a popular — or legal — bird to hunt.

“There’s no hunting season for the great blue heron; it is a species at risk,” he said.

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The bird was taken to the Wildlife Rescue Association of the Burnaby rehab and rescue centre, where an examination suggested it had indeed been shot.

“They checked the bird over from beak to tail, and one major problem they found was the wing was already drooping when it was standing up and it has a big callus, which means a couple of days ago it was broken,” said Wildlife Rescue co-executive director Linda Bakker.

“They found two scabs on the front or back of the wing, which could mean a bullet when through, or a pellet.”

Bakker said the bird was sent for an X-ray on Thursday, but the initial exam was positive.

She said the fracture in the heron’s wing wasn’t at a joint and that its wing had already begun to heal and had a full range of motion.

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“So we’re very happy,” she said. “We’re investigating more, and it has a chance.”

Bakker added that the bird may have been shot as long as five days ago.

She added that the centre usually treats about 40 herons a year, most of them hit by boats or cars, though some are juvenile birds that have been pushed out of the nest.

But she said she wasn’t surprised to learn this one had been shot.

“We get about one a year that’s been shot,” she said, adding that she can’t understand why anyone would do that since the birds aren’t known as pests.

“They’re magnificent birds that usually don’t bother people too much,” she said.

Schoenthal said the COS continues to investigate and is working on a “viable” lead.

He added that it is always illegal to discharge firearms in urban areas and said anyone who is dealing with problem animals should call the COS or a pest control company.