A gull – protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 – was shot and wounded with an air gun in Wisbech. The adult male lesser black-backed gull was seen falling from the sky and landed in the garden of a home in Sherwood Avenue, Wisbech, on July 17.
The worried home owner contacted the RSPCA and Animal Rescue Officer John Woods attended and rescued the bird and took him to the RSPCA East Winch Wildlife Hospital near King’s Lynn.
The bird was examined by a vet and an x-ray revealed a pellet in the bird’s shoulder. Surgery was carried out and the pellet was removed – but it is still early days as to whether the bird will pull through and his prognosis is guarded at this stage.
John said: “I am grateful to the members of the public for reporting this to us so that we were able to rescue the poor gull.
“When I found him in the garden he had blood on his chest and would clearly have been in a lot of pain.
“The witness said they saw the bird fall from the sky and sadly thought he might have been shot as they said there had been another incident recently in which a bird had been found in suspicious circumstances.
“I am grateful to my colleagues at East Winch who are doing all they can to care for this poor bird but at the moment it is not known if he will recover – given what he has been through.”
Wounded gull being cared for by RSPCA at East Winch Wildlife Hospital near King’s Lynn (right) with X-ray of injuries. Image: RSPCA
All wild birds are protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, and it is illegal – except under licence – to take, injure or kill wild birds.
John added: “The RSPCA is appealing for anyone with information to contact us, particularly if you saw or heard anything unusual around the Sherwood Avenue area on July 17.
“Anyone with first-hand information can contact the RSPCA inspectorate appeal line on 0300 123 8018 quoting incident 01308335.”
The RSPCA is braced for a spike of animal cruelty this summer, and has launched its summer appeal so people can support the efforts of its frontline officers.
John added: “It is always very distressing to think that people may be taking pleasure in causing such horrific injuries to defenceless animals.
“We want to see a world where every kind of animal is treated with compassion and respect and deliberate and brutal acts of cruelty should be consigned to the past.
“We continue to call for tighter controls on air weapons. This, along with better education and explanation of the law when buying an air gun, and requirements that everyone must receive basic safety training before being allowed to walk out of the shop could help relieve the problem.
“We receive more reports of cruelty in summer than at any other time of year. That’s why we’ve launched the RSPCA No Animal Deserves Cruelty Appeal because it’s vital that we all take action together to help animals. If you believe that no animal deserves cruelty, please donate now to help animals as abuse reaches its awful peak this summer. By working together, we can create a world that’s kinder for all animals.”
The animal welfare charity is celebrating its 200th birthday this year and wants to inspire one million people to join their movement to improve animals’ lives.
To find out how you can get involved visit www.rspca.org.uk/200.
