WILDLIFE workers this week condemned the callous actions of a person who shot a wild goose on Burrator Reservoir with an arrow from a crossbow.

The white goose was shot sometime last Thursday morning at Sheepstor dam.

South West Lakes Trust South Dartmoor warden Kit Hancock and Simon Kite, a welfare officer from the RSPCA, took a boat to the water to recover the distressed animal.

Mr Hancock told the Times: 'The goose had been shot all the way through but was still swimming.

'We managed to net it after about ten minutes and get it aboard; it didn't put up much of a fight as by then it was so worn out.

'Its partner was naturally not very happy and after the injured goose was taken away by the RSPCA it kept honking, calling for its mate, for about three hours afterwards.

'I've been doing this job for five years and thankfully incidents like this are very rare occurrences.'

Mr Hancock said if it was a Canadian goose, which are migratory visitors to the reservoir lake, it would have been gone by now.

Neil Reeves, the countryside manager for Dartmoor, said the geese are not native and have been probably 'dumped' there by someone.

He said: 'It is disgraceful behaviour to do something like this to a wild animal and I just don't understand why anyone would want to

'Perhaps they wanted it for their dinner but to carry around and use a crossbow in this manner is deplorable.'

The goose was taken by Mr Kite to Drakes' Vets in Yelverton where it was in a poor state when it arrived.

Vet Ulrika Hoffman-Johnson who treated the animal said: 'The arrow went through its body, just behind the legs and the tip came out the other side, just missing its ribcage and the vital organs.

'We gave it an X-ray, antibiotics and painkillers and stitched it up. The treatment went well — it certainly was much happier than when it came in!'

The goose was returned to the RSPCA where it is now recovering at the West Hatch Wildlife Sanctuary in Taunton.

Diana Roberts, a spokesperson for the RSPCA, said that it would rest there until fully recovered and is expected to be returned to Burrator Reservoir and its mate sometime in the next week.

She said: 'We would like to know if anyone in the area saw someone carrying a crossbow at the time. It's not something you would carry without raising suspicion. Some nasty person has gone out of their way to shoot a defenceless animal.'

She appealed to anyone with any information to please contact the RSPCA on 0300 123 8018.

The police have also been notified. and they are anxious for information.

Contact Sgt Dave Anning at Tavistock Police Station by calling 101.

Crime reference 184 02/05/13,