Firefighters in the west German city of Kleve close to the Dutch border have rescued a bird that had been shot with an arrow that lodged in its neck, the Kleve fire brigade said on Saturday.
Despite the injury, the bird was still swimming briskly on a lake on Friday, the emergency services said. Local residents spotted the seriously injured great crested grebe and alerted the fire brigade, the firefighters said.
"We also asked ourselves how the bird could survive that. The animal was very lucky that everything vital was missed," a fire brigade spokesman said.
A team from Germany's water rescue services and a fire brigade boat were used to catch the animal. The emergency services eventually managed to circle the injured bird and capture it. It was given first aid on the shore, then taken to a vet and operated on. Police are now investigating who shot the bird.
