Javelinas Found With Arrows Stuck In Their Bodies: Reward For Info

CAVE CREEK, AZ — The Arizona Department of Fish and Game is looking for the public's help in finding the person or people who shot two javelinas with arrows and left the animals with arrows sticking out of their bodies.

Several people spotted the javelinas May 20 in the Cave Creek area, the department said in a news release. One had an arrow imbedded in its leg and another had an arrow sticking out of the top of its head.

Officers from the department captures the animals and took them to a local wildlife rehabilitation facility where they both died. The department is offering a reward of up to $1,500 for tips in this case that lead to an arrest.

"Help from the public will play a critical role in making an arrest in this case," Debra Groves, the department's wildlife manager said in the news release. "This is not the act of a hunter. This was a criminal act by someone who deliberately broke the law, and the department does not condone this kind of blatant disregard for the laws that govern the ethical and legal take of wildlife. It is important for anyone with information to come forward, and help Game and Fish bring those responsible to justice."

The department collected evidence from the javelinas, including the arrows, DNA evidence and blood samples.

Anyone with information about the shootings is asked to call the the department's Operation Game Thief hotline at 800-352-0700.