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Great Blue Heron euthanized after being shot

The protected species was wounded by pellets
heron
A Great Blue Heron was euthanized on Friday after being shot by a pellet gun.

A Great Blue Heron suffering from pellet wounds had to be put down Friday afternoon.

The bird was found in Langley and taken to the Critter Care Wildlife Society. Staff there then transferred the endangered animal to the Wildlife Rescue Association in Burnaby.

Technicians did an X-ray of the heron’s right leg and found three pellets inside. Two of them broke the right femur.

x-ray
An X-ray of the bird's femur, which shows the pellet wounds. - Contributed

“It couldn’t stand, it couldn’t do much of anything,” said Sam Smith, the association’s marketing and communications coordinator. “It was to the point where no recovery was possible, and so, the technicians decided the best course of action would be to euthanize the animal, provide a mercy to the suffering before having it try and fend for itself a couple more days in the wild before succumbing to its wounds.”

Great Blue Herons are protected under the British Columbia Wildlife Act and by the federal Migratory Birds Convention Act.

“I’m not sure why someone would shoot at a heron to begin with. The bird is a protected species, so clearly shooting at it falls under an illegal act,” said Smith. “It’s quite the violent, volatile action someone took and we clearly condemn the actions of the person who shot this creature.”

The Great Blue Heron is declining in numbers, he added, primarily due to human activity.

Wildlife Rescue Association has reported the incident, but if anyone has more information, they’re asked to call 604-526-2747.