- A pigeon was shot in the neck with a dart in one of two similar attacks this month
- Both the pigeon and duck survived after being cruelly stabbed and left for dead
- The RSPCA saved both of the badly-injured birds and nursed them back to health
- The cowardly attacks come just months after duck found with a knife in its head
A pigeon found with a dart sticking through its neck – one of two similar attacks this month – has survived the attack and made a miraculous recovery.
The injured bird was found walking around despite being impaled by the homemade 14cm dart in Christie Downs, southern metropolitan Adelaide, on November 9.
Only a day later a duck was spotted in St Clair with a small red dart protruding from its head.
A pigeon found with a dart sticking through its neck – one of two similar attacks this month – has survived the attack and made a miraculous recovery
The RSPCA managed to nurse both birds back to health, with chief executive Paul Stevenson describing the pigeon’s survival as a miracle, The Advertiser reported.
‘The dart appears to have been crudely designed for the purpose of injuring or killing an animal,’ said Mr Stevenson.
‘It’s horrifying that people would go to such deliberate lengths.’
Luckily for the injured pigeon, the dart – made of a long nail and a paper cone – did not do serious damage as it only pierced the bird’s skin.
The cowardly attacks follow the discovery of a duck with a small knife sticking out of its head only months earlier.
Animal cruelty is an offence punishable by up to four years in jail or a fine of up to $50,000.