The red-billed gull was badly injured last week after being shot by a blow dart. Photo / Supplied
The red-billed gull was badly injured last week after being shot by a blow dart. Photo / Supplied
A local bird rescue is disgusted after finding a red-billed gull badly damaged from a blow dart.
Bird Rescue Whanganui Manawatū's Dawne Morton said she was contacted on Sunday evening by a member of the public who was walking beside the Whanganui River when they saw something protruding from thegull's eye.
On Monday morning, volunteer Tamsyn led a rescue mission to find the bird and get the help it needed.
There was no sign of it for a few hours until they spotted a bird with a gooey eye on one of the pylons near the river.
A crew member of the Waimarie riverboat had actually removed the blow dart earlier in the day.
Although the dart was removed, it had left the area around the eye badly infected.
The blow dart that went through the birds skull, causing damage to one of its eyes. Photo / Supplied
She said it was a bit of an ordeal capturing the bird and calming it down, but they eventually got there.
There were a number of locals who aided with the rescue, whether that was cutting nets, putting out bait or gathering supplies from the vehicle nearby.
"There were a lot of people that wanted to help out, it was great. Everyone wanted to help out, it was awesome."
The gull was taken back to Morton and Bird Rescue, where it stayed the night. It was transported to Massey University's Wildbase the following day for further assistance.
"It is possibly not good news about the eye. They are trying to clear the infection and see if the eye is functional," Morton said.
The red-billed gull, while the most common gull across New Zealand coastlines, is actually a declining species.
Morton said they were amazing birds and could live up to 30 years.
She couldn't comprehend someone doing this to any animal, let alone a protected native species.
"It is frightening to think there is someone out there with a blow dart. Who knows if there are other birds they have done this to?
"There must have been a bit of force to drive it right through."
