LOWELL, Mich. (WOOD) – Lowell police are trying to track down the person who shot a squirrel and left it with a 5-inch metal dart still lodged in its body.

A family discovered the wounded animal in the area of Beech and Foreman streets Tuesday night. In a post on Facebook, the Lowell Police Department described the squirrel’s condition as “horrific” and “very upsetting to the family.”

Police said the dart hit the squirrel in the muscle and traveled through its body. The creature was still awake and moving, but officers are not sure how far it could have wandered while injured.

Authorities suspect the dart may have come from a blow gun.

Officers said the squirrel was captured and turned over to the Lowell Farm & Wildlife Center for treatment. Police said the squirrel will most likely survive.