A RESIDENT said they 'don't know if there's anything that can be done' about a seagull that has likely been flying with an arrow through its neck since 2021.
Al Hartley took a video of the bird at the Co-op on Abbey Road, Barrow.
In the video the arrow can be clearly seen as the seagull investigates rubbish on the floor.
Weeks before the video, Victoria Waite and her nine-year-old daughter saw a bird with an arrow through its throat on Abbey Road. They tried to catch it but were unable to. Victoria said that it 'upset my daughter but it's not nice for anyone to see - it is absolutely shocking.'
"I really hope someone can catch the poor thing and get it the help it needs," she said.
Bardsea Bird Sanctuary, which Victoria contacted, believes that this is the same bird that The Mail first reported on three years ago.
What is believed to be the same lesser black-backed gull was also spotted in the area this time last year.
A Bardsea Bird Sanctuary spokesman said: "From our reports, we suspect this seagull has been around since at least 2021, or possibly longer.
"It always seems to be in a similar area so I think it comes back every year to nest. It's hard to believe that it has survived so long with that in its neck.
"Not sure if the vets could do anything for it even if someone caught it. If it has been there that long it will be very embedded in the flesh.
"The person who did it probably doesn't even remember it - hopefully karma has dealt with them."
In 2022, Sydny Davis from the bird sanctuary spotted a bird with an arrow through the neck on Oxford Street. She said: "I noticed a seagull perched on top of the lamppost and it was aggressively plucking at its neck.
"Next thing I noticed was an arrow protruding out from one side to the other. I could see that it was also struggling to swallow.
"Unfortunately, we can't catch seagulls like this as it's near enough impossible when they still have healthy functioning of their wings."
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