Bird killings – pellet guns in the Kingswood area

Within just a few days I found six dead birds of different species in my garden. I asked Martin Villet, Professor of Zoology and Entomology at Rhodes University, to examine them. Prof Villet could identify when they had been killed and confirmed that they were all shot with a pellet gun.

Two baby birds in my neighbour’s garden were stranded, as their parents had been shot, and last year a domestic cat in the Kingswood area was also shot with a pellet gun.

Why would any decent human being enjoy such senseless killing just for sport?

While one does not need a license for a pellet gun, owners can still be charged for firing such a weapon in a built-up area or a public place without good reason. Further, it is illegal to use a pellet gun to damage property or abuse an animal. The senseless shooting of a domestic cat and birds in a suburb is animal abuse and illegal. This should be stopped.

Prof Ruth Simbao