Animal rights activist accuses Sainsbury’s of cruelty after shocking video shows “massacre” of dead birds caught in wire mesh

AN ANIMAL rights activist has accused supermarket chain Sainsbury’s of animal cruelty after discovering a “massacre” of birds caught in their wire netting.

Saffron Gloyne was visiting a Sainsbury’s branch in Sutton, Surrey last Saturday when she was left horrified after noticing an array of limp, dead birds hanging from the mesh above her.

The 43-year-old shot a video of the disturbing scenes, describing the situation as an “absolute massacre“.

The video begins with Saffron filming the steel mesh – meant for pest control – looming above her, hanging from the roof of the store’s car park.

The camera pans over four separate pigeon corpses lying on the net as Saffron says: “See this, this is Sainsbury’s in Sutton – an absolute massacre, this is wildlife crime 101.

“Do you see how open it is? They will have seen the nests and they penned them in anyway.”

Saffron pans over to yet another dead pigeon laying in a mass of feathers and claws, adding: “Look, look at that, so I will now be reporting them to the Met after I’ve spoken to the manager.”

Saffron shared the video to social media on the same day with the caption: “I’m shaking. The worst case of cruelty I’ve seen in a long time.

“Sutton Sainsbury’s have deliberately netted in fledglings. They will have suffered an agonising death.

“It’s horrific. It’s carnage. It’s a crime. And I’m coming for you.”

Saffron’s post has received over 3,800 likes, and more than 600 comments from users appalled by the measures.

Another user posted another video of the same store showing a live pigeon stuck behind the net, commenting: “This is beyond cruel. Manager says they have logged the issue since 26 April.

“That’s not good enough. Immediate action is needed. There is a live pigeon trapped in there.”

Another asked: “How do you know this was deliberate?”

Saffron replied: “It’s common in pest control. Too much effort to follow the law. Clear the area, check for nests, call rescues. This is a very open area, it’s very obvious.

“They just put the nets up & leave. It happens all the time.”

A third user wrote: “This is utterly barbaric Sainsbury’s. This must be acted upon, what will be done to ensure this doesn’t happen again or at other store locations? Please respond.”

Another commented: “I’d be taking a knife in there and cutting holes in the lot.”

Speaking today Saffron said: “The store has now terminated their contract with Rentokil as a result of the deaths.

“The public reaction was horror. Mine was [due to the fact] that they left them there dying for a full week.

“It was reported by members of the public to Sainsburys but they didn’t do anything.

“It got to me too late – by the time I got there they were all dead but it looked very fresh so they will have had a very slow death.

“This has happened again today in a Beckenham Sainsburys. This bird has been rescued but he’s lost a foot.

“I sent for and spoke to the manager immediately and after reporting it to the police as a wildlife crime I was consequently called by the regional manager who explained the steps they were taking to ensure it wouldn’t happen again.

“It’s been logged as a wildlife crime in contravention of Wildlife & Animal Act 1981, if it happens again they’ll pursue charges.”

A spokesperson for Sainsbury’s today said: “We’re very sorry that the pest control measure in the car park of our Sutton store accidentally resulted in this happening.

“We reacted as quickly as possible when we became aware of this and are working with our supplier to ensure it does not happen again.”

The RSPB said problems can arise when netting isn’t correctly installed, resulting in birds and other wildlife getting tangled in netting or entering via gaps and becoming trapped.

The society advises: “If you see any live birds trapped in or behind the netting, please alert the owner of the netting or building.”