Calls are mounting to ban the public use and underage sale of catapults after a spike in cruel attacks on animals across Kent.
Canterbury City Council (CCC) is spearheading the End Catapult Cruelty campaign, warning of growing numbers of incidents involving birds and other wildlife being maimed or killed by ball bearings and other projectiles.
It follows a series of horrifying cases, including in Herne Bay, where a female mallard needed stitches after being shot in the body, and ducklings were left orphaned when their mother was killed with a catapult.
In Ashford, there have been repeated reports of pets, swans and even bus windows being targeted by catapult-wielding youths.
Cllr Connie Nolan, the city council’s cabinet member for community engagement, safety and enforcement, is leading the charge.
She said: “Residents have reported people, especially young people, targeting the wildlife in our district.
“Innocent animals are being killed and injured in our district and across Kent and that is unacceptable. Something needs to be done to make it stop.”
The council’s call comes amid a wider national push to close the legal loophole around the use and sale of catapults.
Currently, there is no minimum age to buy or carry one, despite the increasing misuse of the weapons in anti-social behaviour and criminal activity.
“We banned the carrying and sale of knives. We can do it with catapults,” Cllr Nolan added.
“Unfortunately, it’s not just animals – catapults are also being used to damage cars and buses. It has to stop before someone gets seriously hurt.”
“While we are waiting for the law to be changed, shops and websites have an overwhelming moral obligation to put a voluntary ban in place and require proof of age before selling a catapult.”
In Ashford, a series of catapult-related incidents have made headlines in recent years.
Most recently, a 16-year-old shot dead a seagull and held it up “as a trophy” while a friend filmed.
In Herne Bay, a female mallard was recently found with a steel ball embedded in her chest.
Sarah Jenner, a volunteer with The Bird Magnets of Bubble2Bay, is currently nursing the bird after it was discovered injured and bleeding. Another volunteer is also caring for three ducklings whose mother was shot dead with a catapult.
“We support this campaign because we are absolutely appalled and disgusted by how animals are being treated, often driven by ridiculous trends on TikTok and Instagram,” said Ms Jenner.
The council’s campaign is now calling on MPs, councillors, Kent’s Police and Crime Commissioner, animal charities and the public to sign its petition urging the government to take action.
Under current legislation, catapults are only considered offensive weapons if used or carried with intent to cause harm.
Causing unnecessary suffering to animals is already a criminal offence, and it is illegal to kill wild birds or protected wildlife without a licence – yet enforcement is rare and prosecutions are even rarer.
Cllr Nolan said: “The serious concerns for the welfare of the animals coming under attack or being used as target practice are growing and growing – the government must act.”
