WILDCARE volunteers are nursing a young kangaroo back to health after it was shot with a hunting arrow and left injured in Queanbeyan.
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Rescuer Fiona Harrison said a member of the public alerted them to the presence of an injured male kangaroo at Barnett Close, Greenleigh on Tuesday, March 24.
Volunteers tranquilised the 20 kilogram joey, removed the arrow and transported him to West Queanbeyan Vet.
He is currently being cared for by Wildcare volunteers and they hope to release him back into the wild at a later date.
Mrs Harrison said she was relieved to provide help without too much discomfort to the young animal.
"The arrow was probably fired while the kangaroo was standing upright and the arrow has penetrated the shoulder...," Mrs Harrison said.
"It was fortunate the arrow went through where it did so it caused no damage to the bone and muscles."
Mrs Harrison believed the incident occurred over the weekend and the arrow has been identified as a child's full-length hunting arrow.
She said she felt 'terrified' knowing there was someone out there with a weapon targeting animals.
"I feel terrified that there are children, teenagers, whoever out there with bows and arrows, firing their arrows at animals when they're specifically told not to," she said.
"We believe it was shot with a small or low powered bow otherwise it would've gone all the way through."
Mrs Harrison has been a Wildcare volunteer for 18 years. She said this type of incident occurred every few years and was more common in rural parts of Queanbeyan and Wamboin.
Queanbeyan Police and the National Parks and Wildlife have been informed of the incident.