Appeal after gull with bullet wound lands in garden

The RSPCA said it did not know if the gull would recover

The RSPCA is appealing for information after a gull with a bullet wound was rescued from a back garden.

The adult male lesser black-backed gull was seen falling from the sky in a residential area of Wisbech, Cambridgeshire, on 17 July.

The homeowner who found the bird contacted the RSPCA, which took him to East Winch Wildlife Hospital, near King's Lynn, Norfolk.

The RSPCA's John Woods, who rescued the animal, said it was not known if he would recover.

An X-ray examination showed the bullet in the bird's left shoulder

Mr Woods said the witness suspected the bird had been shot.

"They said there had been another incident recently in which a bird had been found in suspicious circumstances," he said.

"When I found [the gull] in the garden he had blood on his chest and would clearly have been in a lot of pain."

An X-ray examination revealed a pellet from an airgun in the bird’s shoulder.

The pellet was removed but the RSPCA says it was still "early days" as to whether the bird would pull through.

The charity is appealing for information from anyone who saw or heard anything unusual in Sherwood Avenue that day.