A kangaroo with a tiny joey in its pouch has been shot with an arrow in Melbourne's outer suburbs.
The kangaroo was found in Bundoora on Sunday with an arrow through her chest and was taken in a critical condition to Lort Smith Animal Hospital for emergency surgery.
The kangaroo was still fighting for her life while the tiny hairless joey was being bottle fed, the animal hospital said in a statement on Monday.
"This is the second (arrow) case we've seen in the past six months, and it's horrifying," vet Tristan Rich said.
"The joey is very young and now we're concerned for his life also.
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"If his mother doesn't survive, he'll become an orphan at only two months."
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals is offering up to $5000 as a reward for information leading to the identification and conviction of whoever was responsible.
"Animal abusers are cowards," campaign coordinator Claire Fryer said on Monday.
Animal cruelty carries a maximum penalty of up to $74,620 or two years imprisonment in Victoria.
