A wildlife rescue group in London is sounding the alarm after dozens of parakeets were found dead in a local park, killed in what it describes as a sustained campaign of cruelty carried out with catapults.

Rae Gellel, director of the Greenwich Wildlife Network, told the BBC that 43 ring-necked parakeets were found dead by volunteers in Priory Gardens in Orpington. Volunteers found the birds in the southeast London park over three weeks, including five discovered on a single Monday. According to the outlet, Gellel told officials that young adults are behind the killings, targeting the birds with catapults, also known as slingshots.

The attackers are practicing what social media calls “lamping,” Gellel claimed. Because the parakeets roost together in trees after dark, they make easy targets for attackers, who shine bright lights into the branches to stun and disorient the birds before firing at them with catapults.

A dead green parakeet lying on foliage outdoors.Jam Press/Rae Gellel
Gellel explained that catapult attacks at the park started sometime in 2020, with a range of local wildlife, including squirrels, pigeons, and ducks, targeted before the recent surge in parakeet deaths.

She said ammunition such as heavy ball bearings, nuts, and bolts is regularly found scattered across the park’s grass. The projectiles can leave animals with deep circular wounds and severe fractures. Some attacks have allegedly been witnessed by residents in the daylight as well, with Gellel claiming witnesses saw some assailants filming the incidents and uploading them to social media.

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“This is sustained, deliberate cruelty, and after so many years it is incredibly frustrating that it is still happening,” Gellel told Need To Know, adding that after “six or seven years of animals being shot, maimed and killed,” continuing to ignore the behavior is unacceptable.

The Greenwich Wildlife Network is calling for stricter regulations on the sale of catapults to people under 18, along with greater prioritization of wildlife crime by law enforcement. The group has previously campaigned on the issue and organized an “End Catapult Cruelty” protest march. BBC London previously reported similar calls for a catapult sales ban in April, after earlier attacks on wildlife at the same park.

Gellel acknowledged that ring-necked parakeets are an invasive, non-native species subject to different legal controls than native birds, but stressed that welfare protections still apply.

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“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,” she told the BBC. “A catapult attack leaving a bird grievously wounded is not something that should be brushed aside simply because of the species involved.”

Bromley Council also released a statement, condemning the killings and confirming it will be assisting the Metropolitan Police with its ongoing investigation.

“There continues to be concern, which is shared by all, at what appears to be the distressing maiming or killing of birds, including most recently parakeets,” a council spokesperson said, crediting the vigilance of residents and the Friends of Parks group.