The RSPCA is warning pet owners across Wales to be extra-vigilant this summer with fears of pets being targeted in deliberate weapon attacks – and wildlife also in the firing line.
Across England and Wales there were 896 incidents reported to the RSPCA involving air weapons between 2020 and 2023 – with 66 of these reported in Wales.
Eight of these incidents in Wales were reported from Neath Port Talbot, seven from Conwy, six from Rhondda Cynon Taff and five from Caerphilly.
The warning comes as the RSPCA’s ‘No Animal Deserves Cruelty’ summer campaign continues to raise vital funds supporting the charity’s work to tackle animal cruelty.
New data from the animal charity also has revealed that the number of cats shot with an air gun, catapult/slingshot or crossbow – across England and Wales – has more than doubled in the first six months of this year (44), compared to the same period in 2023 (18).
Overall, there has also been a 23% year-on-year increase in the total number of animals targeted by weapons across England and Wales, up from 300 in 2022 to 370 last year.
Crossbows are the weapon which has seen the biggest increase in its use in attacks, with 11 incidents in 2023, compared to seven in 2022. Catapult/slingshot incidents also show an upward trend (27 to 28).
With the RSPCA receiving more reports of cruelty in summer than at any other time of year, the charity has released the heartbreaking figures as part of the No Animal Deserves Cruelty Appeal.
RSPCA Lead Wildlife Officer Geoff Edmond said: “Weapon attacks are horrific, but what we see is likely only the tip of the iceberg.
“It is unspeakably cruel and totally unacceptable to shoot animals for ‘fun’ like this – or to harm them for target practice, and sadly we receive too many reports across Wales.
“While most people will be appalled by attacking animals in this way, sadly 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.
“But we are doing all we can to change things. As more and more police forces are seeing worrying levels of weapons-related incidents, we are helping to develop Operation Lakeshot, a police-led partnership initiative initially established by Essex Police and the Metropolitan Police, which aims to tackle these worrying crimes against wildlife.”
Incidents involving weapons reported to the RSPCA this year include:
An x-ray of a hedgehog taken to a vet after being found wounded in a garden in Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire, revealed an air gun pellet embedded in his shoulder. Sadly, the wild animal had to be put to sleep on welfare grounds. April 2024.
- A swan rescued by the RSPCA was found to have had a pellet lodged inside his head. X-Rays on the male swan found in May in a pond in Tredegar, discovered a pellet in his head whilst investigating the fishing litter lodged down his neck. He had also been found with a fishing line around his leg. Sadly the swan was put to sleep on welfare grounds after rescuers trying to remove the hook – found that it had penetrated the oesophagus and had caused an extensive infection in the neck which could not be treated.
- X-Rays on the male swan found on Thursday 23 May in a pond in the Cefn Golau area in Tredegar, discovered a pellet in his head whilst investigating the fishing litter lodged down his neck. He had also been found with a fishing line around his leg.
- Narla, a three-year-old cat from Stoke on Trent, Staffordshire, was shot in the abdomen and the pellet ruptured her spleen. Luckily, thanks to expert veterinary care, she survived her ordeal. April 2024.
- A peacock was fatally wounded after being shot six times with an airgun in Shropshire. The bird was found with pellets lodged in his leg and several other areas following the shooting in the village of Hinstock near Market Drayton. January 2023
Geoff added: “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 probably only represents a small part of a much wider problem, 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 RSPCA No Animal Deserves Cruelty Appeal campaign so we can tackle this horrific trend and continue to take action against cruelty.”
Between 2022 and 2023, wild birds bore the brunt of weapon attacks, with numbers increasing from 190 to 214. Attacks on dogs also increased from 11 to 30 and from six to 32 for farm animals.