A horse shot by a small-calibre firearm near Two Hills, Alta., does not appear to be a hunting accident, say RCMP.
“It’s terrible,” said Sgt. Curtis Kuzma. “Horses or even cattle are valuable and people look after them properly.
It’s certainly against the law and there are significant penalties for anyone caught doing that sort of thing.”
It believed the shooter targeted the horse sometime between Nov. 13 and 15, Kuzma said.
A dark coloured pick-up truck was seen in the area, about 140 kilometres northeast of Edmonton, with people shooting from the window, police said.
The horse, shot in the torso area, is recovering.
It was discovered by the owner not far from the house.
Purposely injuring an animal carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison, Kuzma said.
It was the second illegal shooting in rural Alberta in the last few days.
RCMP are also looking for someone who intentionally shot a natural gas pipeline about 60 kilometres north of Hinton using a high-powered rifle.
The pipeline, owned by Talisman Energy, was targeted sometime over the weekend.
A large quantity of gas was released before safety devices stopped the leak, police said.
