Wildlife volunteers repeatedly called to catapult attacks on swans

At least four birds have been attacked since January 27
Swans on a tow path next to the River Thames in Windsor (stock photo)
PA
Jordan King6 February 2024

Wildlife volunteers are reporting a rise in people targeting swans with catapults, with at least nine birds attacked this year.

Four birds have been attacked since January 27, in Godstone and Old Woking in Surrey and Odiham in Hampshire, where two of them were killed.

Witnesses said they saw people firing catapults into bushes near the water, the BBC reports.

Before this, Shepperton Swan Sanctuary reported that five birds had been killed in the first two weeks of 2024.

Danni Rogers, a volunteer rescuer from the sanctuary, has started a petition to make the sale of catapults and ammunition illegal, along with carrying them in public.

He said: "I believe we are currently in a wildlife crime pandemic. There has been an increase in reports of wildlife being attacked by groups of youths carrying catapults and ball bearings."

Mr Rogers went on to say that 75% of his callouts are because of "apparent abuse of wildlife offences".

"If you're a youth of 14 or 15, why are you carrying a catapult in these areas?" he told the BBC. "They're not hitting tin cans - it's for one reason only."

When Mr Rogers attended the call in Godstone, on February 1, the swan had been shot twice in the head.

The bird is now recovering at the sanctuary.

Mr Rogers’ petition needs 10,000 signatures to get a response from the Government and 100,000 to be debated in Parliament.

He currently has at least 6,000.

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