An animal cruelty investigation is underway in Needham after rabbits were shot with arrows.
Police in Needham, Massachusetts, are investigating after multiple rabbits have been shot with arrows.
One family who found an injured rabbit in their yard this week is speaking out in hopes of spreading awareness and catching whomever is responsible.
Fifth-grader Teddy Cooper and his mom spotted one with an arrow through its back in their yard earlier this week.
"At first, I thought it was a pen, and when it turned, it looked like an arrow because it was right through its back," he said. "I was like, 'That thing must be in pain.'"
Get top local stories in Southern California delivered to you every morning. Sign up for NBC LA's News Headlines newsletter.
They took as many photos as possible before calling police.
"I made sure to give them the photos and told them everything we saw," Liz Cooper said. "We also showed them the direction the bunny hopped in, because he was able to hop away."
This is not the first time this has happened in Needham. Earlier this spring, a neighbor posted on social media about another rabbit that was shot with a crossbow. That rabbit later died.
Local
Get Los Angeles's latest local news on crime, entertainment, weather, schools, COVID, cost of living and more. Here's your go-to source for today's LA news.
Needham police do not know if the two incidents are connected, but they are investigating along with environmental police. Rabbit hunting is legal in Massachusetts, but a special license is needed to do it.
There are also nonviolent ways for gardeners to deal with rabbits, including products that can be sprayed on plants.
"You just wonder who is doing this and why. I don't want to see anybody get hurt, that was my main concern," Liz Cooper said.
Her son has a message to whomever is behind the violence.
"Whoever did it, knock it off. One animal hurt is too many," Teddy Cooper said.
Police are encouraging anyone with information about the incidents to come forward.
