Heartbreaking photos show pigeon that was “lured” to death after being bound and tortured – Animal Welfare News

HEARTBROKEN vets have shared “horrific” images of a pigeon after it was bound, tortured and left for dead on the roadside.

The Wildlife Aid Foundation were left “speechless” by the discovery on Friday  after it was brought in by a member of the public in Leatherhead, Surrey.

The practice, which is known for appearing in the popular television show Wildlife SOS, shared the images on Saturday after the bird was found motionless at a roadside

Images of the bird show the bird’s wing have been tied together by an elastic band with one of its tail feathers removed.

An x-ray also reveals how one of its legs and a small bone near the wing have been fractured.

A post-mortem also revealed the bird had been “stuffed with fresh bread”, leading the charity to believe it had been lured into the torture.

The wildlife group posted the images on Facebook, saying: “It’s not often that we are left speechless by a patient here, but this poor pigeon was a case we wish we would have never seen.

“Found not moving by the side of a road, the true cause only became clear when examined by our vet, Sally. This was all due to humans.

“Not only were its wings bound tightly together with an elastic band (leaving large patches of necrotic skin), but it had been shot in the side with a catapult, resulting in massive tissue damage and a fractured coracoid [a small hook like bone that connects the shoulder joints together].

“If that weren’t already enough, every tail feather had been plucked and one leg had been badly fractured. Sadly, these injuries were unrecoverable.”

The post has unsettled social media users.

Helen Bonser wrote: “This is unbelievably shocking. Poor, poor thing. Beyond expletives to be honest.

“There are some seriously messed up evil humans out there. Hope they’re caught as no doubt other creatures will be suffering in their hands.

Martina Hendriks said: “Poor bird. It must’ve been a lot of suffering before he found his way to you guys.

“Humans can be so insanely cruel which makes this kind of act even more terrifying – they often evolve into hurting humans as well as animals.”

Ruth Finch commented: “There are too many sick f***s around. Some people should not be born.”

A spokeswoman for Surrey Police said: “We are aware of this report. Under Section 1 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, it is an offence to intentionally kill, injure or take any wild bird.

“Under general licences issued by DEFRA, there are some exemptions relating to the control of wild birds, but we do not believe this was what was intended on this occasion.

“The treatment of this pigeon appears to be a callous act of cruelty, and our wildlife crime officers are reviewing the report to see if there are any investigative opportunities which can be followed up.”

The Wildlife Aid Foundation responds to around 300 rescue calls a month and is supported by Stephen Fry, Julie Walters, Ricky Gervais and Emma Thomson.

Wildlife Aid Foundation confirmed the pigeon was actually still alive when it was turned into them but they were unable to save it and put it down.

Charity CEO Simon Cowell said: “It’s not often that we are left speechless, but this left everyone at the centre upset and shocked.

“The suffering this poor animal endured was horrific. It had sustained multiple traumatic injuries and sadly had to be put to sleep.

“What makes it even worse is that when we examined it post-mortem, we found its crop was full of fresh bread, implying it had been baited deliberately by someone.

“It really is beyond words that someone would do this, and it has already been reported as a wildlife crime.

“It is chilling to think that someone capable of this type of behaviour is roaming around the town.”