Injured seagull stays on the loose with crossbow bolt through head

A seagull which has been flying around a seaside town for two weeks with a crossbow bolt through its head has eluded efforts by rescuers to catch it. The bird has been seen swooping around Scarborough, apparently unaffected by the dart-like object, which is about the length of a pen, sticking out of its head.

The injured bird was pictured by local gallery owner Graham Rhodes – who was shocked to find the seagull perched on a pier wall with the bolt through its head. The father-of-one, who runs the Aakschipper Gallery, said: "My main worry is there is someone walking the streets of Scarborough with a crossbow and shooting at birds. "If they are shooting at gulls in the sky and miss, the bolts have to go somewhere and could take someone's eye out.



"I see it most days sitting on the wall near my gallery, it just acts like a normal seagull but with a large dart through its head. It doesn't appear in any pain or discomfort. It isn't as flighty as the others but I have seen it flying about."

RSPCA staff have tried to catch the bird but without success. Geoff Edmond, RSPCA inspector for the Scarborough area, said: 'It is absolutely appalling and completely illegal to be shooting birds in this manner. "It is remarkable that the gull with the bolt in its head is still flying because the object could have hit the brain or fractured its skull."

There are more photos here.