Goose survives crossbow attack as vets remove bolt
A Canada goose has survived after being found with a 15in (38cm) crossbow bolt in its body in the Black Country.
The RSPCA said the bird had shown "remarkable fighting spirit after an atrocious crossbow attack".
One of its inspectors caught the injured goose at Rocket Pool in Bilston on 7 January and took it to a local vet.
The vet managed to remove the bolt and the goose is now receiving specialist care at a wildlife centre.
RSPCA inspector Jackie Hickman, who caught the bird, described it as a "barbaric act of cruelty on a defenceless wild bird".
"The crossbow bolt has been handed to Bilston police officers who are working with us in order to try and trace who fired it.
"It is against the law to use any bow or crossbow against wild birds or other animals," she added.
The animal charity said the Canada goose was still on medication but was eating well at its Stapeley Grange wildlife centre in Nantwich, Cheshire.