Wildlife campaigners have reported a recent surge in the number of catapult attacks against waterfowl in south-east London, as they fear a “growing culture” of bird killings in the capital.
Incidents have been reported in the Greenwich, Thamesmead, and Bexley areas, including Danson Park and Greenwich Ecology Park, as well as Priory Gardens, Orpington.
“It’s really rare to get through a day without a report of something happening”, Rae Gellel, founder of the Greenwich Wildlife Network, told The Standard.
“Birds are losing eyes - their injuries are really severe and in many cases we can’t save them because we can’t catch them so they die slowly.”
She recently recalled a horrific incident of a Mallard duck who was shot and its lower beak ripped off. It was found three days later, having starved to death.
Six birds, including a beloved greylag goose named Lady Grey, who had been fed by locals for years, were all found dead on the same day in Priory Gardens.
Ms Gellel claims the attacks are being carried out by teenagers using catapults, rather than air rifles, which are restricted to individuals over the age of 18.
“They are targeting animals pretty much anywhere, but mainly waterways and packets of nuts and bolts have been found discarded,” she said.
She fears the emergence of a “growing culture” of this type of violence, with children treating it almost like a sport, and has called for an increased police presence in hotspot areas and the introduction of fines for parents who fail to take responsibility for their child's behaviour.
She claims the situation has worsened since the Met Police disbanded officers from its Central Wildlife Crime Unit, which was responsible for investigating and preventing wildlife-related crimes.
While she acknowledged that police resources were considerably stretched at the moment, particularly given the national rise in knife and gun crime, she noted “if it’s the case that anything less than knife crime is acceptable, then that’s not a society I would want to live in.”
“I don’t know what is behind these attacks or why there has been a huge increase recently, but there has been a gradual increase since lockdown and I think it’s a reflection of how violent it is in London at the moment,” she added.
“In the same way people should not be carrying knives in public, neither should they be carrying catapults. If you’re carrying a catapult in public it’s quite clear what you are going to do with it.
RSPCA figures show that Greater London has the second-highest number of weapon-related incidents of any county in England and Wales.
There have been 52 reports of wildlife attacks in the capital over the past four years, ranking only behind Kent, which has recorded 61 incidents.
Jacqui Mitchell, founder of the Priory Gardens Wildlife Foundation, told The Standard she had reached her “boiling point” over the issue, which she claims has now become a “daily occurrence” in the Orpington area.
“It has reached epidemic levels and something must be done and fast before our wildlife numbers decline too much that some of our endangered species become extinct,” she said.
Ms Mitchell launched the Priory Gardens Wildlife Foundation in March 2020 during the first COVID lockdown in response to a series of attacks on nesting swans in the park.
Members follow a rota, taking turns to monitor swans, geese, and ducks to ensure their safety.
The group also holds meetings with the police and distributes flyers to raise awareness of the threats facing local wildlife.
However, she insists that more must be done, as the “odd attack” in 2018 and 2019 has since "skyrocketed to stratospheric numbers."
“We badly need park wardens to try to help deter the delinquents responsible for the wildlife crime in our park,” she explained, “ unless catapults are banned and the judicial system dishes out harsher sentences.”
“I want to see true justice not a slap on the wrist and a warning.”
South Essex Wildlife Hospital, which specialises in the rescue and rehabilitation of all types of wildlife, has also reported a “sharp rise” in the number of catapult attacks and shootings in recent months.
In a recent Facebook post they said: “We have seen a sharp rise in catapult attacks here at SEWH and this poor pigeon is no exception. Arriving with a horrific wound to the chest, the damage was so bad that, sadly, there was nothing that could be done...
“With x-rays showing a large mass lodged in the neck, a post-mortem revealed the truth. This poor bird was shot with a small rock before being left for dead. The angle of entry implies that it was fired from below, causing huge amounts of damage.
“This pigeon is just the latest victim of a worrying trend. Catapult attacks are rising across the country and we MUST do something to stop this before it gets any worse.”
An online petition has been launched by wildlife campaigners to ban the sale of catapults/ammunition in the UK and to make catapults illegal to carry in public places. It has so far gained 13,636 signatures.
