Officials are investigating after two Canada geese were found impaled with arrows in a community north of Toronto.

The injured birds were discovered earlier this week swimming on Lake Couchiching. Both had arrows sticking out of their bodies and underwent surgery to remove them.

It’s unknown how the geese wound up shot, but veterinarians believe they’d been impaled for at least a month.

Aaron Quattrociocchi, an animal care manager at Shades of Hope Wildlife Refuge, says the animals were living on borrowed time.

“They were very thin, so obviously they were not getting enough to eat. So if they had been much longer out there, they may not have made it,” Quattrociocchi told CTV Barrie.

Both geese are expected to survive, but are now undergoing extensive physiotherapy.

In a statement to CTV Barrie, an Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) spokesperson said the agency was “aware of the matter” from citizen complaints brought to the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry.

“Complainants were contacted by a wildlife officer with ECCC, WED-ONR (Environment and Climate Change Canada, Wildlife Enforcement Directorate – Ontario Region.) To date, no suspect leads have resulted,” said spokesperson Marissa Harfouche.

Wounds on one of the birds showed that it was also shot by two different types of bullets, which vets have been unable to safely remove.

Surgery on the injured geese was challenging. One of the geese suffered cardiac arrest during the procedure, but vets were able to restart its heart.

Rescuers say the incident shows clear signs of abuse.

“It certainly didn’t look accidental,” said Krystal Hewitt, a wildlife educator with Speaking of Wildlife, an animal outreach company.

Hunting season in the region doesn’t start until September, prompting some to question why the geese were found impaled in the first place.

“It’s a lot of misery to put the bird through. There’s other ways of trying to dissuade geese from coming up on your lawn,” said Gord Pye, president of the Orillia Fish and Game Conservation Club.

Wildlife officers are investigating the case, and the Ontario Provincial Police is asking anyone who has information about the incident to come forward.

With files from CTV Barrie