It’s one thing to hunt and kill an animal for meat so you can eat it for sustenance. But to maim an animal and leave it for dead for no good reason is just cruel and unsportsmanlike.
Oregon State Police suspect that someone may be doing this in their state.
They are circulating awful pictures of deer who are walking around with arrows stuck in the body in order to find more information on who committed the crime. WARNING: these images are disturbing. Especially to animal lovers.
The Oregon Police Department and the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife are offering a reward for information leading to the arrest of the individual who is responsible for committing this act.
Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife got a report on Friday of sightings of deer who were injured but still alive.
“They were unable to locate the deer,” Oregon State Police said in a statement Saturday, according to The Washington Post. “A trooper responded later that evening and found not one, but two deer that had arrows protruding from them. The injuries to the deer did not appear to be life-threatening.”
Police said they also received a report of a third deer with an arrow stuck in it. The reward was set at $500 through Oregon’s Turn in Poachers program.
The program seeks information on “illegal possession, killing, taking, and/or waste” of animals like bighorn sheep, moose, antelope, bears, deer and game birds.
“Poaching wildlife and damaging habitats affects present and future generations of wildlife, impacts communities and the economy and creates enforcement challenges,” the police statement read.
The $500 reward was upped to $2,000 after a local chapter of the Oregon Hunters Association offered $1,500.
The Oregon Hunters Association then upped their reward to $2,600.
The police are still looked for affected deer. The hope is that they can tranquilize the deer.
That way they can safely remove the arrows.
The police did find that the arrows found in the deer were not the kind that is used by hunters. Deer hunting season is also currently over.
“Our belief is it is malicious in nature. Any legitimate hunter would never target an animal using those arrows,” Oregon State Police spokesman Kaipo Raiser said.
“At this point, we have been unable to capture or tranquilize the deer because the tranquilizer gun… [must be used within] about 30 yards in range for the tranquilizer dart to be effective, which is fairly difficult with wild game.”
Those who have information on the subject can call two numbers.
The Oregon Turn in Poachers at 1-800-452-7888 or Oregon State Police dispatch at 541-776-6111. Callers will remain anonymous.
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