Serial archer shooting donkeys at large in California

(KTLA) - Officials and animal activists in Riverside County, California, are asking the community for help after another wild donkey was found this week with an arrow shot into her body — the newest case in a series of recent reports from around Moreno Valley.

DonkeyLand, a wild animal sanctuary in Riverside County, has reported at least six cases of wild burros struck with arrows dating back to 2018, with half of those cases happening just in the last two months. The sixth victim, a wild 2-year-old female burro, was found on Tuesday with an arrow sticking out of her right lung.

Riverside County Animal Services Sgt. Dwight Espeleta told KTLA on Thursday that with the help of Moreno Valley Animal Control and DonkeyLand volunteers, they were able to corral the herd into a pen they set up so as to keep the injured burro with her family before bringing her to the SoCal Equine Hospital in Norco.

According to the sanctuary’s founder, Amber LeVonne, the young donkey they’ve named “Cupid” was the first victim they were able to capture while the arrow was still lodged. The other cases were seen, some were photographed, and most were tracked down and helped by DonkeyLand, two of which took place just earlier in the summer.

Sgt. Espeleta said that although they weren’t able to retrieve the other arrows, documentation of the punctured animals shows each arrow fletching was a different color.

“We’re not sure if they’re the same arrows, but it’s definitely been a trend these last couple of months,” said Espeleta. “Now that we've got this arrow back, we’ll be coordinating with the sheriff’s office… this is something that’s very important to us.”

In an update on Saturday, LeVonne said the hospital successfully removed most of the arrow — but that Cupid would need to undergo another surgery on Monday to have the arrowhead removed, which was lodged in her thoracic region.

“The arrow actually passed through a small portion of her right lung and is very close to puncturing her left lung,” read DonkeyLand’s Facebook update. “It is very painful for her as it is scraping against the underside of her shoulder blade every time she moves. A chip of bone that was dislodged from the arrow is also endangering her left lung.”

LeVonne is asking for the community’s help with donations to help with medical costs for Cupid, who she said “ is so young, innocent and very sweet.” Authorities are also asking for help to identify one or multiple suspected archers and bring an end to the disturbing trend, and DonkeyLand is offering a reward of $14,000 for information leading to an arrest and conviction.

Espeleta said they will be pursuing criminal charges for felony animal cruelty. Anyone with information about the attempted murder of the wild burros is asked to contact the Sheriff’s Moreno Valley Station at 951-955-2400 or the Department of Animal Services at 951-358-7387.