A HERON had to be put down after it was discovered suffering with a broken leg caused by air gun pellets.

The injured bird was found by a member of the public beside a stream running through gardens in Belbroughton, near Stourbridge, on Sunday, April 16.

He was rescued by RSPCA inspector Suzi Smith, who took him to Vale Wildlife Hospital and Rehabilitation Centre where an x-ray showed he had been shot with an air gun.

Sadly, the heron was so badly injured that he was put to sleep to prevent further suffering.

Ms Smith said: "It was clearly a very painful injury which had left the heron severely injured and unable to hunt.

"It is very distressing to think that people take pleasure in causing harm to these beautiful and defenceless birds.

"This appears to have been a deliberate act of cruelty which caused the heron to tragically lose its life.

"Unfortunately, air rifle attacks are not as rare as we would like. The injuries caused by such attacks are horrific and often fatal.

"Cats and wildlife are normally the animals that are more susceptible to these incidents simply because they are out in the open with no one to protect them.

"We are calling for tighter controls with better education and explanation of the law when buying an air gun and that everyone must receive basic safety training before being allowed to walk out of the shop."

It is against the law to kill or injure wild birds (except under licence) and individuals can be fined up to £5,000 and can even be jailed for up to six months for each animal killed.

"We urge anyone with information with what happened or who knows who targeted the heron to call the RSPCA Inspectorate Appeal Line in confidence on 0300 123 8018," added Ms Smith.

For more information about the RSPCA visit rspca.org.uk