SPRING VALLEY, Calif. (KGTV) - An endangered wild parrot was found injured outside a home in Spring Valley, but the biggest shock came when a veterinarian took a closer look.
On Saturday morning, Daisy and her husband hung out with their dogs in their side yard, off Bancroft Street.
“There were five parrots flying around,” said Daisy.
On the ground, Daisy's husband found a wild parrot in the mouth of one of her dogs. Her husband freed the bird.
“It walked and tried to fly, but it couldn’t fly,” said Daisy.
The couple called County Animal Services. The parrot eventually ends up at SoCal Parrot in Jamul, a group that rehabs wild parrots.
An X-ray revealed a stunning finding: a BB pellet lodged near the abdomen.
“It was very surprising because I was assuming that puncture wound was from the dog's tooth,” said SoCal Parrot Operations Manager Ashly Cass.
The injured parrot is an adult, lilac-crowned Amazon, one of three endangered parrot species in the area.
In the San Diego area, there are a few thousand wild parrots, about eight species in all.
Locally, wild parrots date back nearly a century. Cass says it's believed the first parrots were trafficked across the border to be sold as pets.
In the past decade, the parrots have been targeted several times.
“Simple cruelty, somebody wanting to be a bully,” said Cass.
In 2016, Cass says more than five parrots were shot with pellets and killed in Ocean Beach and Point Loma.
Late last year, two parrots were shot in Chula Vista and later died.
“It's heartbreaking and frustrating because it's so senseless,” said Cass.
The parrot is not quite out of the woods at the rehabilitation center, but there is improvement.
“It’s eating more, more active,” said Cass.
Cass is just hoping there are no more incidents.
“They are up against so many challenges, from habitat loss and poaching for the pet trade to severe weather events … It's so important we advocate for them and make sure they are safe here,” said Cass.
Anyone with information on the case can call the Sheriff's Department or CALTIP at 888-334-2258.
