A VET has issued an impassioned plea to help protect wild birds after being unable to save a jackdaw that was shot with a BB gun.

Cambrian Vets in Tywyn did all they could to save the bird which was brought to them, but despite conducting an emergency wing amputation, Eric the jackdaw died as result of his injuries.

Cambrian Vets later posted an emotional yet educational message on social media urging people to protect their local wildlife.

Kirsty Lack, who works at the practice, wrote: “It is not rare for wild birds to be brought into the practice for emergency medical care, usually by our local bird-hero Mary Page.

“Mary brought us an adult jackdaw named Eric. Eric had been taken to her over the weekend (17-18 March) with an injury to his wing, she had cared for him until he could come to see us this morning.

“We did an X-ray to see if there were any breaks and we found Eric had a broken wing, probably due to the metal BB gun bullet we saw lodged in Eric’s wing.

“We prepared Eric for surgery and operated on the poor little bird, amputating his wing and flushing out the horrible infection he had developed.

“He came around from his anaesthetic, started holding his weight and sleeping off the drugs, all good signs.

“Unfortunately around an hour after his amputation, Eric passed away.

“The injury, infection, shock and operation must’ve been just too much for this little man and although we know we did everything we could to help him, we cannot help feeling a great sadness that he wasn’t able to live out the rest of his life with Mary and her birds.”

The veterinary practice is using Eric’s death as a chance to inform residents about the legal rights of wild birds in the UK, especially those of corvids like Eric.

“Under the Wildlife and Countryside Act, it is illegal to take, injure or kill corvids (jackdaws, crows, rooks) or to destroy their nests,” the post continued.

“There are certain cases where it is permitted under a general license by the UK government, under the Wildlife and Countryside Act, for corvids to be taken or killed by authorised persons using permitted methods, but even when these circumstances are the case, Jackdaws are the least threatening of all the corvids and rarely pose a risk to the local community, agriculture or wildlife population.

“Please, as a part of our local community and the community on a wider scale, consider the lives of these precious little animals and do what you can to educate, protect and preserve these intelligent birds.

“They make up an important part of our ecosystem and it is not only illegal, but unfair, to take their lives away earlier than nature intended.”