Police are investigating after poachers were caught on camera killing birds with slingshots on land surrounding St Nicholas Court Farms.
Three males were seen on the fields and woodland surrounding the family-owned farmland on Sunday, August 30.
In a post to social media, St Nicholas Court Farms said: “Over the weekend, on Sunday afternoon (30th August) at around 4pm, a group of individuals were caught on our cameras killing birds with slingshots across the fields and woodland surrounding the farm.
“These cameras were only installed after a number of dead birds were discovered on the same land the weekend before. Sadly, our suspicions were confirmed.
“We want to be clear about how serious this is. Deliberately killing birds in this way is a criminal offence, and it has no place on working farmland.
“Beyond the immediate cruelty, this kind of behaviour causes real disruption: it disturbs livestock and wildlife, damages the habitats we manage and protect throughout the year, and puts the safety of anyone using the surrounding land, including public footpaths, at risk.
“Slingshots are dangerous, and people roaming private fields and woodland with them is a serious concern for the whole community.
“We invest a great deal of time and care into managing this land responsibly, and reckless acts like this undermine that work and threaten the countryside we all rely on.”
The owners have CCTV stills of the culprits on their page and have passed the evidence to police.
A Kent Police spokesperson said: “Kent Police has received a report of poaching after multiple birds were found deceased in St Nicholas Court Road, St Nicholas at Wade, on 30 August.
“An investigation has commenced that includes the examination of available CCTV footage.
“Witnesses who have not yet spoken to the police and anyone with information that may assist should contact Kent Police on 01843 222289, quoting reference 30-1418.
“You can also call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111 or complete the online form.”
Why hide their faces they should be named and shamed I hope they all get a hefty prison sentence and a hefty fine too
Nothing would happen to them beyond a slap on the wrist. Whislt repugnant to most of us the actual loss to wildlife is negligible.
All pales in comparison to the estimated 160-270 million wildlife killed by the nations 13 million pet cats. No one seems to worry about that.
Is that Barry Manilow in the white?
Ban catapults and also make it compulsory for cats to wear bells to protect songbirds from them.
Disgusting behaviour, and I hope the full force of the law is preceded against these people. They start with animals and birds and go on in so many cases to inflict injury in the future on humans. This is just only a stepping stone in their criminal careers. I would support a very long custodial sentence.
Long view. Not everyone has an outdoor cat to cause that amount of killing. Mine is the indoor and I resent that comment.
What about all the plastic crap you and your chums willing buy on sites like temu only to throw it away unconcerned with 100 years need for it to break down?
Grow up
Get off your high horse. Imerely took figures from the web, patently you can’t average the numbers and say every cat kills wildlife. But imagine catapults killed anywhere near as many creatures , they’d be banned in no time.
It’s not unfair to point out societies hypocrisy in how reactions vary depending on how carnage is caused.
As for temu, never used it. But yes I like every other person have a negative effect on the natural world to some degree, on which basis perhaps we should agree that everyone has their alloted amount of damage they can do and not be criticised. Be that flying frequently, eating foods flown in from distant lands, driving a vehicle with poor mpg.
Where does killing wildlife come on the overall scale? There’s some sort of moral superiority involved. It would be quite legal and possible to justify killing squirrels, crows and magpies if you are a farmer ( add pigeons, deer, rabbits, foxes etc etc to the list).
Those involved may have a protected characteristic and claim it’s part of their heritage.
So,etimes it’s better to reflect on what our own actions cause and look at the bigger picture.
You feel that cats killing wildlife is an acceptable part of their ownership, fair enough, but in aggregate the damage to wildlife is huge. Though not applicable to your pet.
Sickening low life rubbish who will hopefully face some sort of karma in their nasty lives. But I feel the same contempt for the likes of the royal family, David Beckham and Guy Richie who are all bird killers. What is wrong in all their sick minds to have the urge to kill other things?
Slingshots are dangerous, probably quite cruel … but the greatest suffering and barbarity are to be found in factory farming. Companies legitimately torture birds by the million.
MY LATE DAD SAID U DO EVIL -WHAT GOES AROUND – COMES AROUND.