Earlier this month, an expert with Wildlife, Inc. received a call about the raccoon from a south Bradenton neighborhood. The poor thing had a crossbow arrow lodged in its back, and appeared to be in extreme pain.
“It went into the vital organs, enough to cause internal bleeding,” said Ed Straight with Wildlife, Inc.
The raccoon was immediately brought in for surgery, but sadly it died in operating room. The animal was not alone, though. A few weeks earlier, Wildlife Inc, got a similar call from the same neighborhood about a duck that was shot in the neck with an arrow.
“No matter how much of a pest wildlife can be or anything, they’re still protected, and you can’t be cruel to them,” Straight said.
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| Look how tiny he is... poor guy |
Florida statutes strictly forbid intentional cruelty to any animal, including raccoons.
Neighbor Eric Iannelli is concerned for his safety. “Obviously an arrow can go astray and hit a pet or hit a person,” he said.
Iannelli says this neighborhood is teeming with wildlife, and there’s absolutely no reason to hunt them in this populated area. “Do not hurt animals, period,” he said.
My guess is that it is a teenaged boy who gets pleasure from torturing and killing animals. He has probably already shot and wounded/killed neighborhood cats as well.
Wildlife, Inc. filed a complaint with Florida Fish and Wildlife, notifying them of the problem. Ultimately, Straight wants the public to understand that this activity is not only wrong and cruel, but it could be very dangerous.
A Florida Fish and Wildlife spokesperson pointed out there could be the possibility that the raccoon was legally hunted nearby. But even so, FWC said people should follow ethical hunting practices. Hunters should never shoot an animal unless they have a clean kill. An animal shouldn’t be left to suffer like that.
(WFLA - Feb 22, 2016)
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