Wildlife officials with the Atlantic Veterinary College are "disheartened" after three crows found in Charlottetown in the past month have been brought in after being shot with pellet guns.

The injured crows were brought to the AVC with lead pellets lodged inside them — one in the shoulder, one in the neck, one in the head.

All three had to be euthanized.

Wildlife veterinarian Lara Cusack said she is sad, but not surprised someone would resort to shooting the crows.

"I'm just disheartened and saddened from an animal welfare perspective that this is what people are doing," Cusack said. "Regardless of how you feel about a crow, this is not an appropriate way to deal with it."

An x-ray of one of the crows shows a lead pellet lodged in its neck. (Steve Bruce/CBC)

Cusack said the crows likely would have suffered.

"Birds experience pain, just like your dog, your cat or you and I do," she said.

"With these types of injury — soft tissue, bone, and brain injury — there's a lot of pain and suffering that would go with that."

'Obviously a concern'

Charlottetown police are advising residents not to shoot at crows within city limits. Provincial conservation laws allow crows to be shot in some parts of P.E.I., but it is illegal to fire a gun within city limits.

Charlottetown police said they are not investigating because there's no proof the birds were shot in the city even if they were found there.

It is not illegal to shoot crows in some parts of the province, but it is against the law to fire a gun within city limits. (CBC)

Cpl. Ron Kennedy said they are, however, using the incidents to warn residents of the dangers of firing a gun anywhere there may be people nearby.

"As police officers and anyone discharging a firearm, we have to be concerned about if we do miss, where's that projectile going to end up?" Kennedy said. "Which is obviously a concern in the city with people living in such close proximity."

Some Charlottetown residents have complained for years about the noise from crows and the damage to property caused by their droppings.

City officials have tried unsuccessfully to relocate the birds.

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