AN OWL left seriously injured after being shot in an air rifle attack has died.

The female tawny owl was found by a family in Thorpe Bassett on Easter Sunday after they spotted the bird by their garden fence and they immediately took her to local wildlife rehabilitator Jean Thorpe.

Jean, who lives in Norton, said that after examining the bird she could see that her legs were injured but could not find any wounds.

After taking the bird to the vets for an X-ray, Jean said that the bird had been shot with an air rifle and the mushroom-shaped pellet had broken both of her legs. The bird was then fed and housed in a warm box in a quiet shed.

Mrs Thorpe said: “Thorpe Bassett is such a little village someone may know who did this.

“The callous shooter not only illegally cut short her life but also that of her coming brood.”

Mrs Thorpe went on to say that she thought that since the attack, believed to have happened about two weeks before the bird was found, the bird had managed to get back to her nest and continue brooding her eggs.

She said: “Her legs had started to heal in a sitting position.

“Her mate must have continued to feed her; the bond between a mated pair of Tawnies is very strong and constant.

“Sadly, she would never be able to hunt with this inability to catch food and so she was put to sleep.”

Police are now investigating the incident and anyone with information should phone North Yorkshire Police on 101 and ask for PC Jeremy Walmsley, wildlife crime officer at Malton police.