Parakeets shot and killed with catapults in southeast London

It has now become a daily occurrence for dead parakeets to be found at Priory Gardens in Orpington. Five more birds were discovered this morning, bringing the total found dead, night after night, to 41. Priory Gardens has been the site of persistent reports of catapult attacks on wildlife for years. Greenwich Wildlife Network has staged two protests there. Countless reports have been made to police. The issue has attracted significant media attention and the involvement of local councillors. And yet it has never stopped. One of the parakeets found during one spate of killings was still alive when it was discovered floating in the lake. We admitted the bird with an enormous wound to its chest. It was screaming in pain. Despite everything we could do, it died shortly afterwards. We are well aware that ring-necked parakeets are a non-native species in the UK and are subject to different legal controls from many native birds. But that does not mean members of the public have carte blanche to shoot, injure or torment them. Being classed as an invasive or non-native species does not remove an animal?s capacity to suffer, nor does it make deliberate cruelty acceptable. Where wildlife control is lawful, it is still subject to legal conditions and welfare requirements. A catapult attack leaving a bird grievously wounded and screaming in pain is not something that should be brushed aside simply because of the species involved. Whatever the precise circumstances surrounding each individual death, the sheer number of birds now being found at the same location, against this longstanding background of wildlife persecution, demands urgent investigation. These are not simply numbers. Forty-one birds have now been found dead. One after another. Night after night. For years, concerns have been raised about what is happening to wildlife in Priory Gardens. There have been protests, police reports, press coverage and political involvement. The warnings have been repeated again and again. The killing and injuring of wildlife in this park cannot simply be allowed to become normal. We are once again calling for this situation to be treated with the seriousness it deserves, for the circumstances surrounding these deaths to be properly investigated, and for meaningful action to be taken to protect the wildlife of Priory Gardens before yet more animals are found dead. Update: more parakeets have been found dead - bringing the total to 43. picture: Rae Gellel METROGRAB https://www.facebook.com/groups/greenwichwildlifenetwork/posts/2966784753672310/

More than 40 of London’s famous parakeets have been killed in just one park over the past three weeks.

The bodies of five ring-necked parakeets were found in Priory Gardens in Orpington, southeast London, on Monday alone, bringing the park’s recent death toll up to 43.

Rae Gellel, director of the Greenwich Wildlife Network, said the birds – who roost in groups at night – are often targeted in their sleep.

She added that perpetrators, thought to be groups of young people, reportedly shine bright lights at the birds to stun them before aiming at them with catapults and heavy ball bearings, nuts or bolts.

Gellel said the attacks began in 2020 and have not exclusively been aimed at the parakeets.

It has now become a daily occurrence for dead parakeets to be found at Priory Gardens in Orpington. Five more birds were discovered this morning, bringing the total found dead, night after night, to 41. Priory Gardens has been the site of persistent reports of catapult attacks on wildlife for years. Greenwich Wildlife Network has staged two protests there. Countless reports have been made to police. The issue has attracted significant media attention and the involvement of local councillors. And yet it has never stopped. One of the parakeets found during one spate of killings was still alive when it was discovered floating in the lake. We admitted the bird with an enormous wound to its chest. It was screaming in pain. Despite everything we could do, it died shortly afterwards. We are well aware that ring-necked parakeets are a non-native species in the UK and are subject to different legal controls from many native birds. But that does not mean members of the public have carte blanche to shoot, injure or torment them. Being classed as an invasive or non-native species does not remove an animal?s capacity to suffer, nor does it make deliberate cruelty acceptable. Where wildlife control is lawful, it is still subject to legal conditions and welfare requirements. A catapult attack leaving a bird grievously wounded and screaming in pain is not something that should be brushed aside simply because of the species involved. Whatever the precise circumstances surrounding each individual death, the sheer number of birds now being found at the same location, against this longstanding background of wildlife persecution, demands urgent investigation. These are not simply numbers. Forty-one birds have now been found dead. One after another. Night after night. For years, concerns have been raised about what is happening to wildlife in Priory Gardens. There have been protests, police reports, press coverage and political involvement. The warnings have been repeated again and again. The killing and injuring of wildlife in this park cannot simply be allowed to become normal. We are once again calling for this situation to be treated with the seriousness it deserves, for the circumstances surrounding these deaths to be properly investigated, and for meaningful action to be taken to protect the wildlife of Priory Gardens before yet more animals are found dead. Update: more parakeets have been found dead - bringing the total to 43. picture: Rae Gellel METROGRAB https://www.facebook.com/groups/greenwichwildlifenetwork/posts/2966784753672310/
It has now become a daily occurrence for dead parakeets to be found at Priory Gardens in Orpington. Five more birds were discovered this morning, bringing the total found dead, night after night, to 41. Priory Gardens has been the site of persistent reports of catapult attacks on wildlife for years. Greenwich Wildlife Network has staged two protests there. Countless reports have been made to police. The issue has attracted significant media attention and the involvement of local councillors. And yet it has never stopped. One of the parakeets found during one spate of killings was still alive when it was discovered floating in the lake. We admitted the bird with an enormous wound to its chest. It was screaming in pain. Despite everything we could do, it died shortly afterwards. We are well aware that ring-necked parakeets are a non-native species in the UK and are subject to different legal controls from many native birds. But that does not mean members of the public have carte blanche to shoot, injure or torment them. Being classed as an invasive or non-native species does not remove an animal?s capacity to suffer, nor does it make deliberate cruelty acceptable. Where wildlife control is lawful, it is still subject to legal conditions and welfare requirements. A catapult attack leaving a bird grievously wounded and screaming in pain is not something that should be brushed aside simply because of the species involved. Whatever the precise circumstances surrounding each individual death, the sheer number of birds now being found at the same location, against this longstanding background of wildlife persecution, demands urgent investigation. These are not simply numbers. Forty-one birds have now been found dead. One after another. Night after night. For years, concerns have been raised about what is happening to wildlife in Priory Gardens. There have been protests, police reports, press coverage and political involvement. The warnings have been repeated again and again. The killing and injuring of wildlife in this park cannot simply be allowed to become normal. We are once again calling for this situation to be treated with the seriousness it deserves, for the circumstances surrounding these deaths to be properly investigated, and for meaningful action to be taken to protect the wildlife of Priory Gardens before yet more animals are found dead. Update: more parakeets have been found dead - bringing the total to 43. picture: Rae Gellel METROGRAB https://www.facebook.com/groups/greenwichwildlifenetwork/posts/2966784753672310/

Squirrels, pigeons, coots and ducks have all been targeted previously.

In a bid to curb the attacks, the Greenwich Wildlife Network is calling for stricter regulation on the sale of catapults to under-18s.

They are also urging law enforcement to make tackling wildlife crime a priority.

Police are now investigating the killings with the assistance of Bromley Council, which said the deaths of the bright green birds ‘continue to be a concern’.

Why are there parakeets in London?

The ring-necked parakeet is a non-native species in London, but the birds have become a common sight in parks and gardens across the capital.

Rose-ringed parakeet perched on a tree at sunrise in Wimbledon, southwest London
It has now become a daily occurrence for dead parakeets to be found at Priory Gardens in Orpington. Five more birds were discovered this morning, bringing the total found dead, night after night, to 41. Priory Gardens has been the site of persistent reports of catapult attacks on wildlife for years. Greenwich Wildlife Network has staged two protests there. Countless reports have been made to police. The issue has attracted significant media attention and the involvement of local councillors. And yet it has never stopped. One of the parakeets found during one spate of killings was still alive when it was discovered floating in the lake. We admitted the bird with an enormous wound to its chest. It was screaming in pain. Despite everything we could do, it died shortly afterwards. We are well aware that ring-necked parakeets are a non-native species in the UK and are subject to different legal controls from many native birds. But that does not mean members of the public have carte blanche to shoot, injure or torment them. Being classed as an invasive or non-native species does not remove an animal?s capacity to suffer, nor does it make deliberate cruelty acceptable. Where wildlife control is lawful, it is still subject to legal conditions and welfare requirements. A catapult attack leaving a bird grievously wounded and screaming in pain is not something that should be brushed aside simply because of the species involved. Whatever the precise circumstances surrounding each individual death, the sheer number of birds now being found at the same location, against this longstanding background of wildlife persecution, demands urgent investigation. These are not simply numbers. Forty-one birds have now been found dead. One after another. Night after night. For years, concerns have been raised about what is happening to wildlife in Priory Gardens. There have been protests, police reports, press coverage and political involvement. The warnings have been repeated again and again. The killing and injuring of wildlife in this park cannot simply be allowed to become normal. We are once again calling for this situation to be treated with the seriousness it deserves, for the circumstances surrounding these deaths to be properly investigated, and for meaningful action to be taken to protect the wildlife of Priory Gardens before yet more animals are found dead. Update: more parakeets have been found dead - bringing the total to 43. picture: Rae Gellel METROGRAB https://www.facebook.com/groups/greenwichwildlifenetwork/posts/2966784753672310/

No one knows for sure where they came from, but it is thought they may have been domestic pets which were released or escaped in the 20th century and adapted to the environment.

Even though they are classed as an invasive species and are subject to different legal controls than native birds, wildlife campaigners say that legal welfare standards still apply to them.

Gellel said: ‘Being classed as an invasive or non-native species does not remove an animal’s capacity to suffer, nor does it make deliberate cruelty acceptable.

‘Where wildlife control is lawful, it is still subject to legal conditions and welfare requirements. A catapult attack leaving a bird grievously wounded is not something that should be brushed aside simply because of the species involved.’

A Bromley Council spokesperson said: ‘There continues to be concern, which is shared by all, at what appears to be the distressing maiming or killing of birds, including most recently parakeets, which we are aware of, with thanks to the vigilance of local residents and the Friends of Parks group.’

has contacted the Metropolitan Police for comment.

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Original source Parakeets shot and killed with catapults in southeast London

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