NARA (Kyodo) One of Nara Park's famed deer, which are designated national natural treasures, has been shot by a crossbow.
A local conservation group removed a 52-cm steel bolt from the doe, which was found Saturday, after anesthetizing it. The animal was seriously wounded, group members said, and police are investigating the incident.
Nara Park is home to about 1,000 of the deer, which are designated by law as a protected species.
It's not the first time the deer have been targeted. In 2003 a deer was shot with an arrow. Another in 2008 was hit by a harpoon.
