13/06/2026
๐๐ง๐จ๐ฎ๐ ๐ก.
๐๐ ๐๐ซ๐ ๐๐๐ฒ๐จ๐ง๐ ๐๐ซ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ญ๐ซ๐๐ญ๐๐. ๐๐ ๐๐ซ๐ ๐๐๐ฒ๐จ๐ง๐ ๐๐ข๐ฌ๐๐ฉ๐ฉ๐จ๐ข๐ง๐ญ๐๐. ๐๐ ๐๐ซ๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ซ๐ข๐จ๐ฎ๐ฌ.
A few days ago, we received a report of an ibis with an arrow shot through its body.
Not injured by accident. Not caught in fencing. ๐๐ก๐จ๐ญ.
The bird was still alive. Still trying to survive. Still walking, feeding and flying with an ๐๐ซ๐ซ๐จ๐ฐ ๐ฉ๐ซ๐จ๐ญ๐ซ๐ฎ๐๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐ซ๐จ๐ฆ ๐ข๐ญ๐ฌ ๐๐จ๐๐ฒ.
Why anyone would look at a living animal and decide to use it for target practice is beyond us.
Every wildlife rescuer knows the feeling of receiving a call like this. And the reality is, this is ๐ง๐จ๐ญ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐ข๐ซ๐ฌ๐ญ ๐ญ๐ข๐ฆ๐ we have responded to wildlife that has been deliberately shot with bows and arrows or fi****ms. Only a month ago, another bird was X-rayed and found to have a bullet or pellets in its body. It is something we should never have to deal with, yet here we are again.
Many people may have been keeping an eye out for this ibis after its story was shared widely across social media.
The biggest challenge with this rescue was that, despite having an arrow through its body, the bird was still flying remarkably well. Multiple rescue attempts were made over several days, but like many injured birds, it was understandably wary of people and difficult to approach.
Eventually a rescuer was able to net the ibis. During the capture, the arrow became snagged in the net and came away, suggesting it may not have been embedded as deeply as first feared. However, the bird immediately flew off before a full assessment could be carried out.
While we're encouraged that the ibis was still strong enough to fly, we can only hope the wound heals without infection. Unfortunately, we have no way of explaining to a wild bird that we're trying to help.
What we do know is that ๐ญ๐ก๐ข๐ฌ ๐๐ข๐ซ๐ ๐ฌ๐ฎ๐๐๐๐ซ๐๐ because somebody chose to inflict harm on it.
It isn't funny. It isn't clever. It isn't a game. ๐๐ญ ๐ข๐ฌ ๐๐ซ๐ฎ๐๐ฅ๐ญ๐ฒ.
If anyone has information about the person responsible for this attack, we urge you to contact the Queensland Police Service or RSPCA Queensland. Deliberately injuring wildlife is not only abhorrent, it is an offence, and those responsible should be held accountable.
Our rescuers spend countless hours helping injured wildlife, but we are tired of patching up damage that never should have happened in the first place.
๐๐จ๐ซ๐ญ๐ก ๐๐ฎ๐๐๐ง๐ฌ๐ฅ๐๐ง๐'๐ฌ ๐ฐ๐ข๐ฅ๐๐ฅ๐ข๐๐ ๐๐๐ฌ๐๐ซ๐ฏ๐๐ฌ ๐๐๐ญ๐ญ๐๐ซ.
๐๐ง๐ ๐๐ซ๐๐ง๐ค๐ฅ๐ฒ, ๐ฐ๐'๐ซ๐ ๐ฌ๐ข๐๐ค ๐จ๐ ๐ก๐๐ฏ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ฌ๐๐ฒ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ญ.
๐ 0414 717 374
