“Our suspicion is with so many injured in the same way, that it seems intentional,” said Debbie Mcguire, the executive director of the Wetlands & Wildlife Care Center.
Trigger Warning: This story mentions details of animal cruelty which may be disturbing to readers
A saddening incident occurred in California's Fountain Valley where three mallards—a species of ducks—were found without their beaks and severely injured. According to PEOPLE, Los Angeles authorities suspect human involvement in the heinous crime. Investigations are underway to determine the cause of these injuries.
The volunteers of Wetlands & Wildlife Care Center found the injured ducks and brought them into their care. The center declared that the ducks were found at the Mile Square Regional Park. As per recent reports, all three of the ducks were unable to eat owing to the injuries, and either died due to starvation or were euthanized.
“Our suspicion is with so many injured in the same way, that it seems intentional,” said Debbie Mcguire, the executive director of the Wetlands & Wildlife Care Center in Huntington Beach, reported The Los Angeles Times.
Wildlife Care Center took to Twitter, posting about the tragic news. "Brutal Abuse to Mallards at Mile Square Park -- two Mallards were brought to the WWCC with dramatic & heart wrenching injuries. They were still alive with severed bills & suffering from starvation. The attached pictures tell their sad story. They both lost their lives," the tweet read.
Brutal Abuse to Mallards at Mile Square Park -- two Mallards were brought to the WWCC with dramatic & heart wrenching injuries. They were still alive with severed bills & suffering from starvation. The attached pictures tell their sad story. They both lost their lives. pic.twitter.com/A40xMjts18
— WildlifeCareCenter (@WWCCOC) August 19, 2022
According to the center, the two ducks were found in July and have been under the center's care until they met their sad demise. A third duck was discovered on August 19, after the center's tweets garnered attention. A volunteer reported finding a duck, with its beak missing, on June 14. It died that night from starvation due to its injuries but this wasn't reported to authorities until last week. "This third duck is most likely the first victim of these atrocities," McGuire pointed out.
The L.A local authorities attempted to dig into other possible reasons for the injury such as animal attacks or a mishappening at the park. However, as soon as further cases started to get reported, the authorities concluded that the act was intentional and possibly done by a human to cause harm to the species.
"The possibility of it being an actual animal cruelty case is very real, but we do have to do our due diligence,” Capt. Patrick Foy, a California Department of Fish and Wildlife spokesperson told The Los Angeles Times. Foy added that detectives have obtained the bird's carcass from the Wetlands and Wildlife Care Center. A wildlife pathologist will examine the bird to identify the cause of the harm.
Animal abuse and cruelty are among the most disturbing crimes to witness, with the concept of co-existing getting lost as time goes by. It's increasingly difficult for wildlife to live an undisturbed life. The intervention of the human race in wildlife is starting to get even more violent and cruel, to say the least.
The Law for animal abuse states, "Penal Code 597 PC is the California statute that prohibits animal abuse or cruelty. This is defined as maliciously killing, harming, maiming, or torturing a living animal. The offense can be charged as either a misdemeanor or a felony and carries a sentence of up to 3 years in jail or prison."
References:
https://people.com/pets/third-duck-found-with-beak-removed-park-southern-california/
Cover Image Credit: Getty Images| Herbert Kehrer
