Yes!

Story in local newspaper which is a perfect example of why I support PACT (a
small animal charity: that I got Marble from) over and beyond the RSPCA -
it's why small animal charities across the UK work unceasingly to raise
funds to carry out their rescue & rehoming work.

http://new.edp24.co.uk/content/news/story.aspx?brand=EDPOnline&category=News&tBr
and=edponline&tCategory=news&itemid=NOED28%20Aug%202005%2018%3A11%3A07%3A010

"Crossbow bolt removed from duck

A Mallard duck impaled by a crossbow bolt has been rescued by an animal
welfare group.

Members of the public had become increasingly concerned about the fate of
the duck spotted in the River Wensum at Fakenham, and the apparent lack of
action by the RSPCA.

But on Friday, a week after the duck was first spotted with the bolt stuck
into its hind quarters, members of the People for Animal Care Trust
sanctuary took matters into their own hands and waded into the stretch of
the river at Hempton, near Fakenham, and captured the stricken duck.

It was taken to the Companion Care Vets in Norwich and x-rayed and it was
found the bolt was not hitting any vital organs or bone and the bolt was
pulled out.

It is likely that it will be a week at least before the duck is returned to
the water.

Chris Rockingham, said they had been notified about the duck on Friday by a
member of the public and decided to try and rescue it.

"We felt we had to act because the duck was going to die either through
infection or being caught up in reeds and drowned," said Mrs Rockingham.

She said she was a little disappointed at the lack of action by the RSPCA .

"They couldn't know how the duck was suffering because they hadn't captured
it so it could be x-rayed. Not for the first time our group has succeeded
when the RSPCA, with all its public-funded resources, has failed," she said.

An RSPCA spokesman said tonight it was aware of the criticism over delays in
capturing the duck but it was not such a black and white issue as people
seemed to believe.

She said that an RSPCA inspector had been to the location on a number of
occasions over a number of days and made repeated attempts to capture the
duck but the organisation also had to deal with hundreds of other calls each
day.

She was pleased that another animal welfare group had got involved and
achieved a satisfactory outcome."

Cheers, helen s