Kids use catapults to kill and torture animals, then share ‘sick’ photos on WhatsApp

Children are filming themselves using catapults to kill and torture animals on a UK-wide WhatsApp network, Sky News reports.

WARNING: This story contains images and descriptions that readers may find distressing

The young people – including some of primary school age – have been sharing footage and photos of their killings on messaging apps.

In some videos, injured animals are slowly dying after being shot with hand-held catapults.

Elsewhere, young men kicked and abused animals after shooting them and posing with their bodies.

Sky News discovered nearly 500 members of the Catapult group on WhatsApp, who shared more than 350 photos and videos of animals killed or injured by weapons.

The RSPCA described the material from these groups as “horrible” and said it was an “emerging trend”.

The “sick” attacks have prompted calls for a change in the law so catapults are not classed as illegal weapons and can be purchased and carried legally.

Target animals include pigs, deer, pigeons, foxes, squirrels, pheasants, rabbits, geese and ducks – with a charity saying the number of birds injured by catapults has risen “exponentially”.

Shepparton’s Swan Sanctuary, which rescues swans and other waterfowl, currently cares for about 20 birds injured by catapults.

Volunteer Danny Rogers said the “devastating” wounds, mainly on the birds’ heads and necks, were caused by “pure kills”.

X-ray images showed ball bearings lodged inside the bird, as well as bones shattered by the catapult shot.

Describing the “life-changing, fatal” injuries, Rogers said he saw “fractures to the facial area, exploding eyes, burst tracheas”.

“I get emotional seeing animals in distress,” he told Sky News.

“(They) were targeted for no other reason than purely for evil fun.”

In one incident, Mr Rogers said he was rescuing a swan injured by a catapult when he realized children armed with catapults were shooting in the area.

He later found a dead pigeon next to his car that had been killed by a catapult and kept as a “trophy.”

Sky News discovered 11 Catapult groups on WhatsApp with a total of 489 members, including young children, teenagers and some young adults.

In a video shared in one group, a deer is seen lying on the ground convulsing, with a serious head injury, having just been shot by a child with a catapult.

The young man who attacked the deer then stood next to the deer while holding a handheld catapult in front of the camera for viewers to see.

The child looked at the deer on the floor and then kicked the deer, causing the deer to writhe in obvious pain.

In another video, two teenagers shoot a fox, with one saying: “Okay, kids… steel bullet to the head.” before holding the catapult up to the camera, showing it’s used to kill Animal weapons.

In one video, a teenager holds up his catapult while filming a drowning Canada goose, which he shot from across the pond. While filming the badly injured bird, the attacker can be heard celebrating.

“One of the new catapults, the Canada goose, is dead like a dodo. Stand up!” he said.

Another video shows an elementary-school-age child saying: “Look at those boys, here’s your ball bearing… let you sting,” as he filmed himself picking up a bleeding squirrel.

Materials in the WhatsApp group also include voice notes in which children can be heard describing their killings.

One boy said in a voicemail: “Boys, shot him straight in the head, hit the skull, not a kick, nothing, not flinching before he died.”

In another voicemail, a boy said: “Straight through the bunny’s head.”

In another voicemail, a boy said: “Guys, I killed 16 things today.”

Geoff Edmond, the RSPCA’s chief wildlife officer, said catapult killings were an “emerging trend” in which children involved “deliberately and intentionally target animals” for their “sport”.

“We are seeing more and more animals being injured by catapults,” he said.

Edmond added that London and Essex police were also aware of the increasing number of incidents.

While it is not illegal to buy or carry a catapult, there are many different laws to protect animals when shooting with a catapult.

The first is the Animal Welfare Act 2006, which makes it an offense to cause unnecessary suffering to animals.

In the material shared on WhatsApp, many of the animals were abused while still alive, which is also illegal under the Animal Welfare Act.

Another relevant piece of legislation is the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, which protects wild birds and some animals in England and Wales.

The bill lists a weapon that a person may not use to kill an animal, but catapults are not included in that list.

Henry Smith, deputy chair of the all-party parliamentary group on animal welfare, said there was an urgent need for Parliament to consider changes to the legislation.

The MP believes the government should consider ensuring “criminal sanctions” for “those who use catapults as weapons to cause harm and suffering” and consider restricting sales to under-18s.

Ejectors are easily purchased online, including on sites like eBay and Amazon.

Within catapult groups, young people also trade, sell, and even handcraft catapults, and some even sell knives.

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Mr Smith said: “Unless some people are convicted of using catapults to cause great suffering to animals and they face legal consequences, there will be no deterrent to stop others taking part in this sick activity.”

WhatsApp said the material shared in the Catapult group violated its terms of use.

A WhatsApp spokesperson told Sky News: “We respond to law enforcement requests in accordance with applicable laws and policies.”

For more information on how to help injured or targeted wildlife, visit www.rspca.org.uk.