Gangs of youths are using ‘ice cubes’ as ammunition to kill wild animals in Bromley – with a charity warning catapult attacks are ‘out of control’ in and around the London borough.
Animals are being shot to death, blinded, left with shattered bones or open wounds in South East London every day as gangs gather after dark to slaughter wildlife for entertainment.
Animals frequently targeted include foxes, starlings, swans, parakeets and wood pigeons.
Greenwich Wildlife Network issued a desperate plea to the government and police to act against the assaults – after creating a petition calling for the regulation of catapults, which has so far gained more than 36,000 signatures.
The charity claimed youths may have switched from using pellets to ice cubes so that the ‘evidence melts away’ and cannot be traced back to them.
Rae Gellel, Director and Founder of Greenwich Wildlife Network, told the Daily Mail: ‘All these ice cubes were found on the floor at a location where kids had been seen shooting animals. We did theorise that it could potentially be a way of having less evidence.
‘The injuries are awful. It’s often a nut or a bolt or a battery being fired at an animal at high velocity. 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. It’s very common for us to see compound fractures where the bone is broken through the skin.’
A fox is seen with a hole in its nose after being shot with a hard object fired by a catapult
A goose dies from its injuries after being shot in the head by a gang of youths in South East London
Ms Gellel added: ‘It can take a week to catch an injured animal. We might never catch it, so it’s just left to suffer and ultimately die of its injuries. Even when we do rescue them, they’re life changing injuries – they might never fly again […] or they might lose an eye.’
Horrifying images show a fox with a severe wound to its nose, dead birds scattered across the ground and a swan seemingly blinded by its injuries.
The charity is calling for the government to change the law to make the possession of a catapult in a public place an offence.
As things stand, police must prove intent or use to cause harm before arresting anyone carrying the weapon.
Ms Gellel said: ‘I think [we need] a wider solution that involves police taking wildlife crime more seriously, and animal cruelty more seriously.
‘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 added: ‘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.
‘If the laws worked, we would not be seeing the same offenders returning to the same locations again and again, with complete impunity. Even recording themselves committing the crimes, they feel so untouchable.’
The charity saw four starlings, two wood pigeons and two parakeets killed in one incident in Bromley in recent weeks.
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.
A parakeet lies dead on the grass with a bullet wound to its chest area
A suffering swan appears blinded after sustaining an injury to its head
Greenwich Wildlife Network, which began in 2019 as a small community group, has expanded into a registered charity with dozens of active volunteers.
In many cases, volunteers use kayaks and net guns to try to catch the injured animals – sometimes spending days in rescue efforts. Some are never caught and are left to suffer for days before dying.
A 2023 incident at Southmere Lake saw a mallard shot in the head in front of witnesses.
The duck died shortly after. Her six ducklings, left behind and unable to fend for themselves, were never recovered and presumed dead.
A Government spokesperson said: ‘It is illegal to harm a wild bird or protected species of wild mammal.
‘Catapults should not be used for illegal purposes, whether against people, wildlife or property.
‘We continue to keep all relevant legislation under review in the interest of public safety.’
The Daily Mail has contacted the Met Police for comment.
The issue of thugs targeting animals with catapults extends beyond London, proving to be a nationwide issue over recent years.
In June last year, a campaigner also called for a catapult ban after a group of boys turned their weapons on a mother when she challenged them for targeting animals.
Holly Collins was caught up in the shocking encounter at St Clements Lake in Greenhithe, Kent, where she said catapults and ball bearings became the weapons of choice for attacking ducks, swans, and even people.
Ms Collins estimated the boys to be around 12 or 13 years old and what started as an animal attack quickly escalated into a direct threat.