Bobcat kitten found with dart lodged in eye. A search is on for the shooter in Texas

A bobcat kitten was found with a blow dart lodged in her eye, requiring at least one surgery to give her a chance at life back in the wild, a Texas wildlife rescue group says.

Now the search is on for whoever shot the animal.

Miracle, as she’s been named at Crosstimbers Ranch Wildlife Center, was spotted just before Christmas in Frisco, Texas, with a dart lodged in her eye, KXAS reported. She had been seen uninjured earlier in the day with her mother and other kittens, Tricia Tate told the Dallas TV station.

Another kitten was shot in the leg, KXAS reported.

“This was malicious,” Tate told KXAS. “It was vicious, and it was something that needs to be stopped.”

The wildlife center tracked Miracle and captured her to be taken in for medical care, the group said in a post on Facebook. They sedated Miracle and removed the dart, which was 5 inches long, WFAA reported.

“This is not hunting. This is flat out cruelty,” Valeri Marler, a founder of the rescue, told WFAA. “These are lives and these are important lives. They control the rat population, the rodent population, and the rabbit population.”

Police are searching for whomever shot Miracle, WFAA reported. The rescue is also offering a $1,250 reward for information leading to an arrest, according to WFAA.

Crosstimbers Ranch Wildlife Center told McClatchy News that Miracle is “still not out of the woods” and may require another surgery to remove scar tissue covering her eye.

“Because her life depends on her ability to see well, this is going to have to be repaired before she is returned home,” the wildlife center told McClatchy.

The wildlife center hopes to return Miracle to the wild in Frisco when she recovers.

“They are truly such beautiful and gentle animals,” the wildlife center told McClatchy. “Sadly, just seriously misunderstood.