Rangers are on the hunt for an animal-abusing sicko, who is shooting darts at little defense-less creatures in Pelham Bay Park, authorities said today.
A maintenance staffer at the Bronx wildlife refuge noticed several animals last Tuesday with darts stuck in their bodies — two ring-billed gulls, a Canada goose and a squirrel — near the Orchard Beach parking lot, a Parks department source said.
Park rangers tried to rescue two of the animals — the ring-billed gull who had been darted below the eye and a Canada goose with a dart in its shoulder — but both creatures were well enough to fly away, officials said..
The heartless attacks come in the wake of a similar incident where six birds were found shot with darts on Sept. 21.
Four of the birds were found dead, and the other two were initially rescued but later died from their injuries.
Urban Park Rangers have said they will give extra attention to this area during their patrols and make additional attempts to capture the injured animals.
Additional reporting by David K. Li