Duck with three-inch crossbow bolt through its head still alive two years later

A duck with a crossbow bolt lodged in its head is still alive two years after it was dealt the potentially fatal wound.

The male mallard, which lives on a lake in Telford, Shropshire, is able to eat, swim and fly despite the three-inch bolt going through its head.

The culprits have never been identified by the police, with the injury having first been spotted by a passer-by in November 2022.

The duck has been monitored ever since by Cuan Wildlife Rescue, a charity based seven miles away near Much Wenlock.

Mark Bott, its assistant manager, told The Telegraph that the duck – named by locals as Barney – is in good health and has been witnessed feeding, flying, swimming and even fighting other males.

“We have been very surprised that he has lived so long,” he said.

“It is quite an active duck and it always does its best to evade us. As time went on, it was quite obvious that it was coping very well. It is defending its territory, it’s flying, it’s eating, it’s doing everything it needs to do as a duck.”

Bolt entered duck’s head just under left eye

The bolt can be seen entering the duck’s head just under its left eye and protruding from beneath its right.

Mr Bott added that any attempt to catch the duck, whose age is unknown, would risk dislodging the bolt and killing it.

“It does not want to be caught and even if we did catch it and take it to the vets, the only treatment would be to put it to sleep,” he said.

“That wouldn’t make any sense because it’s doing really well.”

A spokesperson for the RSPCA said it is “hard to believe someone would deliberately carry out such a cruel and callous act”.

‘Extremely wary of humans’

“He is extremely wary of humans, as soon as he spots a net, he backs off, so our attempts to catch him haven’t been successful,” the spokesperson said.

“Because he’s still able to fly, attempting a boat rescue is also extremely unlikely to result in a successful outcome so we will continue to monitor the situation with the help of the public.

“Unfortunately, attacks like this are not uncommon – wildlife is more susceptible to these incidents simply because they are out in the open with no one to protect them.”

Telford Police have previously warned the public not to attempt to capture the duck.

“Please be assured this duck is safe and well, please do not attempt to catch him,” a spokesperson said. “Local wildlife charities have been to assess and they are not concerned.

“Wildlife experts have advised that attempts to remove the arrow would highly likely cause death, therefore it is being monitored whilst it is managing. Several requests were made for information to try and identify the offenders at the time.”