Police condemn pukeko hunt
A north Auckland community is appalled one of their friendly neighbourhood pukeko has been shot with an arrow.
The Gulf Harbour bird, one of the Roberts Rd neighbourhood’s five friendly pukeko, was unable to be captured by the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) after being spotted in the backyard of Sarah Woodward’s home.
The bird, known for having a limp, has been suffering for days as residents only just noticed the ‘‘feather’’ they recently saw sticking out from it’s wing was actually an arrow.
‘‘My neighbour rang me a couple of days ago and asked if I had seen the pukeko walking around with an arrow in it. We thought it was a feather sticking up as it was the same colour,’’ Woodward said.
The pukeko is nesting and the residents did not want to take it away from its family or try and pull the arrow out themselves.
‘‘It did not look as though it was in any pain but we do not want it walking around with an arrow in it. It is horrible that anyone could do this to an animal,’’ Woodward said.
Woodward phoned the Hibiscus Coast bird lady and a vet who then referred her on to the SPCA in the hope they would take the bird to Pet Doctors to be treated then returned to its home.
‘‘It is so sad, when the bird raises its wings you can see the gold end of the arrow.‘‘
‘‘We hope the pukeko will be okay, they have become almost part of the family as we feed them and see them everyday.’’
The SPCA spent two hours trying to catch the pukeko to take it to the vet but were unsuccessful.
Rodney Area Commander Inspector Mark Fergus advised people to not use bows near residential properties as it threatened animal welfare and community safety.
‘‘Bows and arrows should only be carried with a lawful, proper and sufficient purpose. We know that the pukeko hunting season has now closed and while pukeko is considered a game bird, it is illegal to hunt game birds with a bow (even in season) unless there is a special permit for this.
‘‘People should always exercise caution when using these weapons. Our advice to whoever shot the pukeko in Rodney is to not repeat it, it is illegal, dangerous and can cause unnecessary pain and suffering to these native birds.’’