A gull that was shot by an air gun in Wisbech is currently fighting for its life at a specialist RSPCA wildlife hospital.
The charity is now appealing for anyone with information to come forward after the bird was found in Sherwood Avenue on July 17.
The adult male lesser black-backed gull was seen falling from the sky and it landed in the garden of a home on the street.
The worried home owner contacted the RSPCA and Animal Rescue Officer John Woods attended and rescued the bird and took him to the RSPCA East Winch Wildlife Hospital near King’s Lynn.
The bird was examined by a vet and an x-ray revealed a pellet in the bird’s shoulder.
Surgery was carried out to remove the pellet - but it is still touch-and-go as to whether the bird will pull through and his prognosis is guarded at this stage.
“When I found him in the garden he had blood on his chest and would clearly have been in a lot of pain.
“The witness said they saw the bird fall from the sky and sadly thought he might have been shot as they said there had been another incident recently in which a bird had been found in suspicious circumstances.
“I am grateful to my colleagues at East Winch who are doing all they can to care for this poor bird but at the moment it is not known if he will recover - given what he has been through.”
All wild birds are protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 and it is illegal - except under licence - to take, injure or kill wild birds.
“Anyone with first-hand information can contact the RSPCA inspectorate appeal line on 0300 123 8018 quoting incident 01308335.”
The RSPCA is braced for a spike of animal cruelty this summer and has launched its summer appeal so people can support the efforts of its frontline officers.
The charity also continues to call for tighter controls on air weapons, better education and explanation of the law when buying an air gun.
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John added: “We receive more reports of cruelty in summer than at any other time of year.
“That’s why we’ve launched the RSPCA No Animal Deserves Cruelty Appeal because it’s vital that we all take action together to help animals.
“If you believe that no animal deserves cruelty, please donate now to help animals as abuse reaches its awful peak this summer.”
The animal welfare charity is celebrating its 200th birthday this year and wants to inspire one million people to join their movement to improve animals' lives. To find out how you can get involved visit www.rspca.org.uk/200.
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