Seagulls Impaled With Dart, Arrow In Suffolk County; Reward Offered For Arrest
PATCHOGUE, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) -- In what seems to be a rash of attacks against wildlife in Suffolk County, officials say two more seagulls have been injured, one from an arrow and another from a blow dart.
The Suffolk County SPCA said a seagull impaled with an arrow was seen Thursday afternoon in the Patchogue area. By the time the SPCA arrived to help the bird, it was gone.
In a separate incident, the SPCA says another seagull was spotted on the Long Wharf in Sag Harbor with a dart that had pierced the bird's head from front to back. The dart appeared to be from a blow gun. Officials said it also flew away when they tried to capture the bird.
Chief of the Suffolk County SPCA Roy Gross said don't try to approach the birds to remove the arrow or the dart. Instead, Gross said call the SPCA at 631-382-7722.
"We have experts ready, willing, and able to help these birds," Gross said.
These are the latest attacks against wildlife in Suffolk County.
On Saturday, a seagull was killed in Montauk when Gross says someone threw a rock the size of a brick at the bird after luring down to the beach with some bread. A $1,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction in the case.
A swan was also found recently in Hampton Bays impaled with a hunting arrow. It was rescued and barring complications, will hopefully be returned to the wild by the end of August.
"I've never seen all of these cases before and I've been doing this for 28 years. It's very disturbing," Gross told CBS 2's Wendy Gillette.
An Eastern Box Turtle was found on July 5 in Smithtown with a nail driven through its shell. It too is expected to make a full recovery.
The SPCA is offering a $1,500 reward for information leading to an arrest in that case.
For more information, visit www.suffolkspca.org.
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