Posted: Mar 27, 2011 5:56 PM
Updated: Mar 27, 2011 9:40 PM
TUCSON - Two weeks ago, an injured javelina was found in the Ventana Canyon area.
It had been shot with a high-powered pellet gun, and had to be put down.
Another one was found dead in a nearby dumpster.
Some animals, if they're lucky, go to the Tucson Wildlife Center for rehab, and officials there say, animal cruelty cases are on the rise.
Lisa Bates works at the Tucson Wildlife Center, and she says, three years ago about 350 different cases of injured or killed animals happened each year, and now it's around 700.
Bates said, "The last 14 animals have been gunshot illegally or shot with arrows, BB's, pellets, 22's, shotguns and a combination of all."
She showed me a picture of a javelina that was hit with an arrow in the face; that javelina survived.
Bates said, "We're getting all kinds of migratory birds, hawks, owls being shot illegally in different areas of town."
Although we can't stop others from hurting, or killing the wildlife around us, there is some good news, we can help, and it's easy, just don't feed them.
Bates said, "You are drawing them across busy streets, they're coming in here hit by cars, broken legs, broken and dead from being hit by cars."
The Arizona Game and Fish is offering a $1,000 reward for any information leading to an arrest on the javelina shooting in the Ventana Canyon area.
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