![]() ![]() 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.” “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. These weapons cause horrific pain and suffering.” “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. The charity has released these figures as part of its Cancel Out Cruelty campaign, in a bid to raise funds to help its frontline rescue teams continue to save animals from cruelty and abuse – like deadly weapon attacks.Įmma Brook, RSPCA chief inspector for West Yorkshire, said: “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.” Shockingly, 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). The UK’s under-threat wildlife tragically bore the brunt of the attacks, with 841 wild birds – including waterfowl and marine birds – shot by a gun or crossbow or hit by a catapult since the beginning of 2020. 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). Many incidents reported to the charity involve more than one animal being targeted at a time. Since the beginning of 2020 (up to May 2023), the RSPCA received 808 reports relating to animals being intentionally harmed with a weapon.Īir guns and rifles were responsible for the bulk of the incidents, with 658 reports made to the charity but weapons such as catapults and slingshots accounted for a combined 124 incidents while there were 34 calls to the RSPCA about crossbow incidents. ![]() The animal charity has unveiled shocking new figures relating to deadly weapons used on animals over the past four years – with a horrifying crossbow attack on a squirrel as one of the most recent attacks (as shown above). Lethal weapons including crossbows, air guns, catapults, and slingshots are being used to deliberately target and kill wildlife and pets, new data from the RSPCA reveals. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |