Groton — The Connecticut Wildlife Rehabilitators Association is offering a $1,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person who shot a Canada goose with an arrow.

The bird was last seen a week ago swimming in Rock Lake at the submarine base with an arrow protruding through its body, the association said in a statement Thursday. The bird was shot with the kind of arrows used for target practice, the CWRA said.

The Connecticut Wildlife Rehabilitators Association has volunteer rescuers ready to capture the bird for medical treatment. The bird, however, has not been seen for several days.

[naviga:img class="img-responsive" src="https://projects.theday.com/images/goose-arrow.jpg" alt="Goose with an arrow through the abdomen"/]

Undated photo of a Canada goose discovered in Groton with an arrow through its body. (Photo courtesy of Connecticut Wildlife Rehabilitators Association)

“We are worried she will die a slow horrible death unless that arrow is properly and quickly removed,” Laura Simon, a member of the CWRA, said in a statement.

“I was horrified to see this bird with an arrow protruding out both sides of her body, trying to act normally. Yet, she was clearly suffering from such a cruel action,” said Diane Honer, a CWRA member who organized a rescue party and veterinary and rehabilitator support.

Lisa Brochu, who saw the stricken goose, said she and others were amazed at the sight of a bird swimming with an arrow protruding through its body. “It was heart-breaking to see the kind of cruelty someone inflicted on this beautiful bird,” she said in the statement.

The CWRA claims what happened to the goose is a violation of state wildlife and animal cruelty laws and the federal Migratory Bird Treaty Act.

But an official from the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection says that is not necessarily the case.

Min Huang, the migratory bird program leader for DEEP, said with the right permits during hunting season, it is legal to shoot a goose, though a bow and arrow is not likely to be a hunter’s preferred method.

“During a regulated hunting season, it’s perfectly legal to take waterfowl with a bow and arrow, just extremely hard to do,” Huang said. “Few hunters would ever entertain the idea of killing a Canada goose with a bow and arrow. The chances of success of a quick clean kill are very small.”

The Canada goose hunting season ended in southeastern Connecticut on Oct. 20 but starts up again on Nov. 10, according to the 2018-19 Connecticut Migratory Bird Hunting Guide.

A hunter is able to shoot and kill Canada geese if they are in a legal area for hunting and the hunter holds a state hunting license as well as state and federal duck stamps, which are needed to hunt migratory birds that include waterfowl, woodcock, snipe, rail and crow.

More than likely, Huang said, is that the arrow is the work of a disgruntled homeowner fed up with geese pooping in their yard — something he called “irresponsible” and likely illegal.

A goose that had an arrow through its head was seen frequently in the Lyme-Old Lyme area in 2012.

To report tips about this incident or a sighting of the bird, contact the CWRA at cwrawildlife999@gmail.com. Eyewitnesses are also urged by the CWRA to contact the local police and DEEP with any pertinent information.

g.smith@theday.com