Birds shot and tied down as RSPCA reveal dramatic increase in cruelty

Nation.Cymru staff

The RSPCA has received its highest number of summer cruelty reports involving wild birds in five years, with 29 incidents recorded throughout Wales last year.

One incident reported in Merthyr Tydfil saw an adult gull dragging its wing and repeatedly collapsing to the ground after being shot. The bird was taken into RSPCA care, but due to the severity of his injuries, had to be put down. An X-ray later revealed an airgun pellet lodged inside his body alongside a fractured wing.

Another incident, this time in a woodland in Powys, saw a buzzard found dead after been tied to a tree root using a blue rope secured around one of its wings. Evidence at the scene suggested the bird had struggled for some time before it died, and it was also found to have injuries to one wing.

Latest figures from the animal welfare charity show that 359 incidents involving wild birds were reported during July and August 2025 throughout the UK – almost double the 179 reports received during the same period in 2024, and the highest summer total recorded in the past five years.

The data also shows that the RSPCA received almost half (40%) of all reports of cruelty towards wild birds during the summer months last year, with longer days and increased time spent outdoors all thought to be contributing factors.

The worrying trend looks set to continue as the charity has already received 474 reports involving cruelty to wild birds across the UK so far in 2026, more than half than the number of total reports of this nature in 2025 (876).

‘Sickening’

Mike Scargill, Wildlife Partnerships Manager for the RSPCA said: “We are deeply concerned by the number of reports involving deliberate cruelty towards wild birds.

“Day after day, our frontline officers and animal centres see the sickening consequences of weapons being used on animals – causing awful suffering, severe injuries and often leading to death. These figures are likely to represent only a fraction of the true scale of the problem because a lot of cruelty goes unseen and unreported.

“Wild birds feel pain, fear and distress, and deserve our care and respect. Deliberately harming them causes immense suffering and can have devastating consequences for both individual animals and local wildlife populations.”

All wild birds are protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, and it is illegal to deliberately kill, injure or take one, except under licence; any permitted lethal control must involve more humane methods. Anyone found contravening this could face up to six months imprisonment and an unlimited fine.

The RSPCA is encouraging anyone who witnesses deliberate cruelty towards wildlife to report it to the charity and are appealing for public support for their Cruelty Hurts, Love Rescues campaign.

Adults who are worried about a young person’s behaviour towards animals are also encouraged to seek advice through the RSPCA’s early intervention referral service, where support can help address concerning behaviour before it escalates.