43 Parakeets Killed in Three Weeks

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 43.

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.