Wildlife rescue volunteers in South East London are reporting a horrifying surge in catapult attacks on animals, with gangs now suspected of using ice cubes as ammunition so the evidence 'melts away'.
Charity Issues Desperate Plea as Injuries Mount
The Greenwich Wildlife Network has issued a desperate plea to the government and police to act, stating that assaults on wildlife with catapults are now 'out of control' in and around the London borough of Bromley. The charity says animals are being shot to death, blinded, or left with shattered bones and open wounds on a daily basis as gangs gather after dark to target wildlife for entertainment.
Animals frequently targeted include foxes, starlings, swans, parakeets and wood pigeons. In one recent incident in Bromley, the charity documented four starlings, two wood pigeons and two parakeets killed.
'The Evidence Melts Away': A Chilling New Tactic
Rae Gellel, Director and Founder of Greenwich Wildlife Network, revealed a disturbing new development to the Daily Mail. Youths are believed to have switched from using traditional pellets or ball bearings to ice cubes. "All these ice cubes were found on the floor at a location where kids had been seen shooting animals," Ms Gellel said. "We did theorise that it could potentially be a way of having less evidence."
The injuries inflicted are severe and often fatal. "It's often a nut or a bolt or a battery being fired at an animal at high velocity," Ms Gellel explained. "That would do damage to a human, but to a small animal like birds with hollow bones, it does catastrophic damage. You've got broken bones, you've got missing eyes, you've got huge gaping wounds."
Horrifying images shared by the charity show a fox with a severe wound to its nose, dead birds scattered on grass, and a swan seemingly blinded by its injuries. In a 2023 incident at Southmere Lake, a mallard was shot in the head in front of witnesses and died shortly after, leaving her six ducklings to perish.
Calls for Legal Change and Police Action
The charity has created a petition calling for the regulation of catapults, which has so far gained more than 36,000 signatures. They are urging the government to change the law to make the possession of a catapult in a public place an offence. Currently, police must prove intent to cause harm before arresting anyone carrying the weapon.
"I think [we need] a wider solution that involves police taking wildlife crime more seriously, and animal cruelty more seriously," Ms Gellel stated. "But also strengthening the current protections of wildlife, as well as regulating the carrying of catapults in public, and whether children can access them."
In a Facebook post, the charity expressed frustration, noting: "Despite a growing campaign, widespread community anger, and countless reports to the police, nothing has meaningfully changed. The same individuals return to the same parks night after night."
Parks such as Priory Gardens in Orpington, Danson Park in Bexleyheath, and Southmere Lake in Thamesmead have been named as the worst-affected areas, with assaults repeatedly reported there over the last few years.
The Greenwich Wildlife Network, which began in 2019, now relies on dozens of volunteers who sometimes use kayaks and net guns in rescue efforts that can last for days. Tragically, many injured animals are never caught and are left to suffer for days before dying from their wounds.
The issue extends beyond London, with similar incidents reported nationwide. In June last year in Greenhithe, Kent, a campaigner called for a catapult ban after a group of boys turned their weapons on a mother when she challenged them for targeting ducks and swans.
