Ballarat resident Cindy Bright and her husband Adrian Finnegan saw a teenage boy kick the black water hen into the lake on Friday afternoon. 

Ms Bright rushed to the bird’s aid by jumping, fully clothed, into the lake. 

“It was pretty obvious it was injured because it wasn’t moving its legs and was struggling with its wings,” she said. 

The animal lover initially thought the teenager was kicking a ball: “I saw two young boys kicking something. When I asked what had happened, (one of the boys) said the bird had got caught in his (bike) wheels.”

Ms Bright was not sure whether the incident was an accident or a deliberate case of animal cruelty. 

She saw the boy kick the bird three times before getting on his bike and riding off. 

Ms Bright and her husband drove the bird to Greencross Vets for treatment.

“We wrapped him in a jumper and I sat my wet bum in the car, I didn’t care,” she said. 

“When we handed him over to the vet, he was alive and breathing. 

“The vet said he had lots of injuries – both his legs were broken and he had internal injuries.”

Unfortunately, the bird died a short time later. 

Ms Bright said she was mortified by the lack of dignity the boy had shown towards the injured bird. 

“I know accidents happen, but if you accidentally injure any animal, take the time to take it to the vet,” she said.

Ballarat Animal Advocates Association secretary Valerie Denouden said birds

were vulnerable around the lake. 

“Unless it’s a domestic animal like a cat or a dog ... people don’t seem to take animal cruelty (incidents) seriously,” she said. 

She said young people needed more education about how to treat animals around the lake. 

However, she thought most people valued the bird life around the lake. “I see cars slowing down to let the birds cross the road,” she said. 

kara.irving@fairfaxmedia.com.au