By ASHLEY VANSANT / Special Assignments Editor (Updated: Wednesday,
November 9, 2005 6:02 PM CST)
Two recent cases involving domesticated animals struck by arrows have
Shelby County's animal control officer on the hunt for those
responsible.
"This is absolutely a terrible thing," said Donald Kendrick, the
county's animal control officer. "It's against the law and it's just
stupid."
The owners of a prize-winning Angus cow near Wilton alerted
authorities Tuesday morning when they noticed an arrow embedded in the
cow's belly.
Kendrick responded to the call, fresh off the case of a housecat
killed by an arrow near Calera just last week.
The cow, which Kendrick said still has a calf, is a large black
animal that would not likely be mistaken for a deer.
"There's no way this could have been an accident," he said.
Bow-hunting season began Oct. 15 in Shelby County and across the
state.
"I think you've just got a lot more people out here with bows and
crossbows, and unfortunately I think you've got a very small percentage
that's doing this," Kendrick said.
"These idiots use animals for targets."
Owners of the cow were still weighing their options, including a trip
to Auburn for veterinary treatment, at presstime Tuesday. But Kendrick
said the animal's injuries did not appear to be life-threatening.
Kendrick rushed a wounded cat to a local veterinarian Thursday after
getting a call from citizens near Calera who reported the animal
wAndering the neighborhood with an arrow protruding through both sides
of its body.
The cat, which was wearing a flea collar, was thought to have been
struck by an archer several days before it was captured. It died shortly
after arriving at the Shelby County Animal Shelter for treatment.
"The cat had been running around for a few days and it had just bled
out. It didn't have a prayer," Kendrick said. "How in the world that
little fella' lived that long, I don't know."
Kendrick said the arrow that killed the cat featured a small point,
like those commonly used by archers for practice and target shooting.
It was unknown at presstime whether the arrow embedded in the cow was
tipped with a practice point or a broadhead, the bladed tips used by
hunters to kill deer and other game.
Kendrick said each incident will be treated as an animal cruelty
case, a misdemeanor, and that all information will be passed on to the
Shelby County District Attorney's Office.
