The animals hunted are diverse: swans, deer, foxes, rabbits, pheasants, pigeons, Canada geese, squirrels and ducks.
The swan sanctuary in Shepperton, England, is currently caring for around 20 birds with whiplash injuries. Volunteer Danni Rogers describes the wounds as "life-changing and fatal": "Facial fractures, exploded eyes, ruptured tracheas." X-rays show steel ball bearings embedded deep in the birds' tissue.
In one video, a deer lies seriously wounded on the ground, shot in the head, while the child who fired the shot continues to kick the animal. In another video, a teenager films a Canada goose drowning after being shot: "One up for the new slingshot, big Canada goose, dead as a dodo."
No ban, free sale – the legal loophole
Catapults are legal to buy in Great Britain, even for minors, and can be purchased from websites like Amazon and eBay. Carrying them in public is not prohibited. Although the Animal Welfare Act 2006 and the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 protect wild animals from intentional harm, catapults are not explicitly included in these lists of prohibited weapons. This makes prosecution difficult and rare, as the RSPCA has publicly confirmed.
RSPCA animal expert Geoff Edmond calls catapult attacks an "emerging trend": "We're seeing more and more injured animals being catapulted." Police in London and Essex are also recording a growing number of cases.
Parliamentary petition demands consequences
A petition currently circulating in the British Parliament, which has gathered nearly 40,000 signatures, advocates making carrying a slingshot in public without a valid reason an absolute criminal offense – similar to carrying an air rifle. As a compromise, the initiators propose a licensing system for legitimate uses, such as fishing.
Conservative MP Henry Smith, vice-chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Animal Welfare, is supporting the petition, saying Parliament must take "urgent" action and ensure clear penalties are in place for those "who use catapults as weapons to injure and cause suffering to animals."
We are urging the policing minister to take urgent action and help us make it illegal to sell catapults to anyone under eighteen. It is a simple, practical step that will help protect wildlife, domestic pets, and people from preventable harm.
For more information read our blog.
Right now, our wildlife and animals are not protected by strong enough laws. Without effective legislation, wildlife and animal crime will continue.
Ask the policing minister to support legislation to restrict catapult sales to over-18s.
We need you now more than ever, and so does our wildlife!
The government has so far refused to implement an outright ban on working from home, but wants to "actively explore" what else can be done.
What is behind the violence?
Animal welfare organizations and child psychologists emphasize that the willingness to target animals for "entertainment" is not an isolated phenomenon. It reflects a culture in which the killing of wild animals is seen as a sporting trophy, reinforced by social media that creates visibility and rewards in the form of likes. Those who torture animals demonstrate not only a broken relationship with nature, but also with compassion and responsibility in general.
The debate in Great Britain should also be heard on the continent. Similar loopholes exist in Swiss animal protection laws: slingshots are legal, proving animal cruelty remains difficult, and the number of unreported cases is likely significant. Anyone interested in learning more about animal protection in Europe can find regularly updated reports at wildbeimwild.com.
More about hunting as a hobby: In our hunting dossier you will find fact checks, analyses and background reports
World Animal News
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