Lethal weapons used against animals across the South West
The RSPCA says dozens of incidents have been reported since 2020
Here in the South West, and across the UK, the RSPCA have resealed lethal weapons - including crossbows, air guns, catapults, and slingshots - are being used to deliberately target and kill wildlife and pets.
Shocking new figures have been released by the animal charity this week relating to the use of these deadly weapons.
Between 2020 and May 2023, more than 50 incidents of this type of animal cruelty have been recorded, in the South West.
12 of those were in Dorset.
The national picture
Since the beginning of 2020 (up to to May 2023), the RSPCA received 808 reports relating to animals being intentionally harmed with a weapon across England and Wales - with 63 of these incidents happening in Wales.
Across the UK, air guns and rifles were responsible for the bulk of the incidents reported to the RSPCA, at 658, but weapons such as catapults and slingshots accounted for a combined 124 incidents while there were 34 calls to the RSPCA about crossbow incidents.
Top county hotspots calling the RSPCA to report incidents of animals attacked with weapons were Kent (56 reports), Greater London (47), Merseyside (35) and jointly West Yorkshire (30), Nottinghamshire (30) and West Midlands (30).
The majority of reported attacks were against some of the UK's most under-threat wildlife, with 841 wild birds shot by a gun or crossbow or hit by a catapult since the beginning of 2020.
Pet cats were also a prime target, with 262 cats deliberately attacked with weapons, followed by wild mammals (82), dogs (59), farm animals (41) and equines (26).
RSPCA national wildlife coordinator Geoff Edmond said:
"I work with the police an awful lot, including here in the South West.
"Often this is the overlooked aspect of wildlife crime. This deliberate cruelty occurs in rural areas and urban areas, and we do see an increase in the summer months. Animals are about, birds are breeding, and animals are targeted - this is horrific.
“Myself and my colleagues see the consequences of these attacks far too often. It is unspeakably cruel, totally unacceptable and illegal to shoot animals for ‘fun’ - or as target practice, but sadly our emergency line is receiving hundreds of reports.
“We think of ourselves as a nation of animal lovers, but the RSPCA’s experience shows that there are people out there who are deliberately targeting wildlife, pets and farm animals with guns, catapults and crossbows. These weapons cause horrific pain and suffering.
“Day after day, our frontline officers and animal centres see the sickening consequences of weapons being used on animals - severe injuries often leading to death. And what we deal with is probably only the tip of the iceberg as not all cases will be reported to the RSPCA directly and there may be situations where animals injured and killed by these weapons are sadly never found - especially in the case of wildlife.
"This is why we need our supporters to back our Cancel Out Cruelty campaign so we can tackle this horrific trend.”
Geoff told us about the consequences people may face if they are caught.
He added: "If somebody has used an air rifle, for example, and the charge is under the Animal Welfare Act, they could face five years in prison or an unlimited fine.
"If it's under the Wildlife and Countryside Act, they could face six months in prison or an unlimited fine.
"We've really got to change behaviour on this. It's illegal to shoot animals for fun, so why are we treating them in this way?"
The RSPCA's air gun campaign
Because air guns feature in so many reports of intentional harm against animals, the RSPCA has been campaigning to remove the loophole from firearm legislation which allows minors unsupervised possession of air weapons on private land, describing it as a ‘recipe for disaster’.
The UK Government agreed with this proposal and in July 2022 undertook to amend the Firearms Rules 1998 to strengthen controls on access to airguns by minors, but this has yet to occur one year on.
You can find out more about the legislation, and the current amendment proposal on the parliament.uk website.
All wild birds, including swans, are protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 and it is an offence to intentionally kill, injure or take them except under licence. The maximum penalty, if found guilty, is six months in prison and/or an unlimited fine.
Anyone caught deliberately using an air gun to injure an animal can face up to five years in prison and/or an unlimited fine if found guilty under the Animal Welfare Act.
Geoff added: “Right now, animal cruelty is happening in England and Wales on a massive scale. It is heartbreaking that we are seeing such sad figures which show animal cruelty is so prevalent in our society.
“Each year, reports of cruelty reach a terrible annual peak in the summer months – and we're braced for another summer of reports about innocent animals being targeted by air rifles, catapults and other deadly weapons. We need the help of our supporters so we can cancel out cruelty once and for all.”
You can find out more about the RSPCA and their 'Cancel Out Cruelty' campaign on their website.