RSPCA seek men who attacked pheasant
Cameras set up by Buckinghamshire County Council to catch fly-tippers recently captured three young men laughing as they attacked a Common Pheasant. As a result, the RSPCA is investigating after they were contacted on Tuesday 7 May by the county council when the camera – set up in Park Lane, Burnham – was checked, to reveal violent and disturbing scenes.
RSPCA inspector Rachel Smith, who is now investigating, said: "The incident actually occurred on Monday 8 April at around 3.30 pm. Three young lads are seen getting out of a dark blue Volkswagen Polo before getting a live Common Pheasant out of the boot. A series of still images then shows them man-handling the bird, attacking it with what appears to be a curved knife and a slingshot, before they appear to pull his wings off.
"It's extremely violent and cruel. The bird would have suffered seriously throughout the duration of the attack. They then dump the bird on the ground before returning to the boot of the car and throwing what appears to be the body of a second bird – a female Common Pheasant – from the vehicle onto the ground."
The three men sped off before another vehicle arrived (RSPCA).
One of the men is seen to restrain the male, holding him by his wings, while a second attacks the bird and a third films on his mobile phone. The men can be seen kicking the birds on the ground and jumping on their bodies but it is not clear whether both birds are dead at this point. They run back to the car and jump in. A minute later, they return along with a second vehicle which also appears to have young men inside with their hoods up.
Bill Chapple OBE, Cabinet Member for Planning & Environment at Buckinghamshire County Council, said: "Our fly-tipping surveillance cameras are there to catch people involved in the illegal dumping of waste, but as a public body we have a duty to inform the appropriate agency if other criminal activity comes to light. That's why we've provided the evidence of this distressing incident to the RSPCA."
Inspector Smith added: "At this stage we do not know the ages of these youths so we would ask anyone who recognises them to contact us directly and not to publicly name the boys. This is also why we have chosen not to show the boys’ faces at this time. We are already in the process of tracing the vehicle via the car registration.
"Anyone who recognises any of the individuals or the vehicles can contact the RSPCA's appeal line on 0300 123 8018 and leave a message for Inspector Rachel Smith."