Geese shot with blow darts in Boise park [View All]

[ccharles000]

Cindy Embree and her twin sister, Christine Lewis, both volunteers at the Ruth Melichar Bird Center, are on a mission to help a Canada goose that was hit in the neck with a blow dart.

The male bird is one of two injured by darts in Kathryn Albertson Park earlier this week. Whoever shot them likely was able to do it at close range.

"The geese are nesting, so you can literally walk within a foot of them, and they'll stay on the nest protecting it," Embree said.

If caught, the shooter could face myriad charges, including misdemeanor wasteful destruction of a game bird and misdemeanor shooting a game bird out of season. The penalty if convicted on one of those misdemeanor charges includes a fine of from $25 to $1,000 and up to six months in jail. There's also a civil penalty of $50 per bird associated with the wasteful destruction of a game bird.

Under Boise city code, the person could be charged with misdemeanor counts of harassing wildlife and illegal use of an air- or spring-propelled device in city limits.

http://www.idahostatesman.com/2010/04/03/1139893/geese-shot-with-blow-darts-in.html