There has been a significant increase in the number of reported attacks on wildlife with catapults, says the RSPCA. A petition to ban the sale of catapults and ammunition and the carrying of catapults in public places has gathered over 22.5k signatures.
Protect the Wild condemns the wanton killing of wildlife with catapults and other weapons. We support the work of the RSPCA in uncovering it, but we detect a whiff of hypocrisy in the media’s coverage of these horrible incidents.
Gull, goose and moorhen killed by catapult shots
The RSPCA says that a black-headed gull died near Gravesend in Kent after being hit by ammunition from a catapult. X-rays revealed that the bird’s wing bone and elbow had been shattered by the metal shot.
The BBC also reported that a goose and a moorhen died after being shot with ball bearings from catapults in Greenhithe, also in Kent.
“It seems both birds experienced horrendous injuries before dying, which shows the consequences of these sorts of attacks,” said RSPCA inspector Kirsten Ormerod. She continued:
“It is really sad these beautiful birds died after what we fear was a case of them being cruelly targeted with a catapult. It seems both birds experienced horrendous injuries before dying – which shows the consequences of these sorts of attacks.
The birds’ x-rays showed there were catapult ball bearings in the moorhen’s head and the goose’s eye had been badly damaged, consistent with a catapult injury. Sadly, we fear this was not a one-off incident; as just a week earlier, another goose was shot and killed with a catapult.
We are appealing for anyone who has any information about those responsible for these senseless deaths to contact the RSPCA.”
Not subject to restrictions
Catapults are not subject to age restrictions in the UK, unlike air rifles, so they are popular with young people.
Recent catapult incidents include:
- A vixen found killed in Orpington, Kent. According to The Mirror: “She had a ball bearing lodged in her nose and a fatal wound to her middle”.
- A Mallard that had starved to death after he had had his lower beak ripped off by a shot from a catapult.
- A nesting female Mute Swan was seriously injured in Blackwater, Surrey. The Mirror reported that she was shot by “youngsters with a catapult”.
Kent has reportedly “become a hotspot” for animal shooting with catapults
According to the RSPCA, Kent has become a hotspot for the use of catapults over the past years. The county has had the second-highest number of incidents after London. Across the UK, the organisation reported that 896 incidents of similar attacks on animals with catapults, airguns and crossbows had been reported to them between 2020 and 2023.
“These weapon attacks are horrific, but what we see is likely only the tip of the iceberg, and we are particularly concerned about the situation in this region [Kent],” said Geoff Edmond, the RSPCA’s lead wildlife officer.
Of course, the prevalence of incidents in Kent could be down to a higher degree of reporting by wildlife rescue organisations and members of the public. However, the number of reported incidents is quite striking.
Worrying increase in attacks over the past years
Protect the Wild’s Eliza Egret wrote in August 2024 that the following catapult attacks had been reported in the Kent media over the past years:
- A fox who had to be put down in May after she was shot with a catapult by a group of teenagers in Chatham;
- A group of eight boys killing pigeons and ducks with catapults, and then kicking and throwing a duck against a wall in Maidstone;
- The seizure of two catapults and 62 ball bearings by police, belonging to two boys in Paddock Wood after they were reported to have been attacking wildlife;
- A suspected attack on a mallard duck in Faversham. The duck was found lying dead next to her nine eggs.
Selective outrage
While Protect the Wild is deeply saddened to hear of any suffering of animals and birds, we think it’s important to point out that the shooting industry causes suffering on a daily basis, and it seldom makes newspaper headlines. While the press feigns outrage over killings with catapults, there is little coverage of the routine shooting and culling of countless millions of animals and birds every year.
In the case of birds, the shooting of many species is allowed during certain seasons by a series of laws that were first laid out in the Game Act 1831. Millions are bred simply to be shot for sport, and are kept in intolerable and inhumane conditions on ‘game farms’ until they are released only to be killed for sport (we don’t to use the term ‘game’, as it devalues the lives of birds – read more about our stance here).
Wild birds are protected by law, but the government, via Defra, issues landowners with General Licences to shoot many species of bird to protect crops or stop the alleged spread of disease.
According to Protect the Wild’s Rob Pownall:
“We absolutely condemn the cruel use of catapults to injure or kill birds and other animals. But we also urge people to look deeper: how can it be acceptable to be horrified by someone using a catapult while ignoring the industrialised, legalised killing of millions of birds for ‘sport’ every year? If we truly care about animal welfare, we must oppose all forms of cruelty — whether it happens in the shadows with a catapult or in broad daylight with a shotgun. That’s why we support the petition, and why we’re also calling for an end to bird shooting in the UK.”
And – let’s be honest – any charity with the word ‘Royal’ in it is compromised by association. RSPCA Trustee King Charles and his family are avid grouse shooters, and Charles himself has been an advocate for fox hunting and the badger cull. Does it make any difference if birds or badgers are shot with a gun rather than a catapult? We don’t think so.
The RSPCA’s Edmond has previously stated, “It is unspeakably cruel, totally unacceptable and illegal to shoot animals for ‘fun’ – or as target practice”. We wholeheartedly agree, but we can’t help but point out the hypocrisy. Where is the outrage over the killing of birds and other animals for sport, or under General Licences?
The Home Office even got a word in. They’re quoted in The Mirror calling those who attack animals with catapults “cowardly” and “thugs”, but the government has recently clarified its stance to side squarely with the bird shooting industry.
Kids who kill birds with catapults are branded thugs, while wealthy shooters like Charles are described by the RSPCA as “a powerful voice for nature”…
At Protect the Wild, our outrage is not selective. That’s why we oppose attacks on animals with catapults and with shotguns, and it’s why we’ve just launched our campaign to End Bird Shooting. Check out our resource page here and read how we think we can change the narrative about the shooting of birds.
Featured images via RSPCA
Read more about Bird Shooting and the Law here.
