A shot red kite has been found injured after ‘falling from the sky’ at the Royal Observatory in Greenwich Park, south east London.
It is currently being treated at the South Essex Wildlife Hospital where x-rays revealed multiple shotgun pellets lodged in its body. It’s not clear where or when this kite was shot.
Staff at the wildlife hospital posted the following details and photos on social media yesterday evening:
UPDATE 13th February 2023, 10am: The person who found this injured kite has provided some more background to the circumstances:
Raptor Persecution UK 
Why would someone be using a shot gun in Greenwich Park?
Very strange scenario…. no recent entry wounds?
This kind of thing leaves me feeling very sad, there was a dead magpie in my area and sadly it didn’t look like sickness killed it. There are so vile humans living amongst us and it affects me deeply. People are becoming more and more stupid of spiteful.
What a beautiful bird. How can someone look at it and reach for a gun? What is wrong with these people?!
It could of been shot days before it suffered from it`s injury, unable to fly anymore, there`s only three pellets shown on the x ray. Not all birds instantly fall from the sky dead after being shot, many a pheasant etc get brought down only to run off injured.
The person who found this injured kite has provided more background to the circumstances. See update at foot of blog.
Thanks for the update…. makes better sense, now.
From “The effect of lead exposure on survival of adult mallards in the Camargue, southern France”: The relative survival of lead-affected mallards was 19% lower than unaffected birds for both types of lead exposure.
By ‘both types of exposure’, the authors mean lead shot ingested into the gizzard (mistaken for grit) and lead shot embedded in muscle (in non-immediately-fatal shootings).
The most important aspect of this incident, is that the Kite has been shot.
It really doesn’t matter where or when the Kite was shot, but the fact that it was shot.
It is an indisputable fact that raptors are being illegally shot the length and breadth of the UK.
This is yet more evidence that far too many individuals within the shooting fraternity are criminals.
Criminals over which it would appear none of the umbrella organisations managing the shooting industry have any control over.
It is an issue that far too many within the shooting fraternity either choose to ignore or attempt to deny.
Criminals which current gun licence and wildlife legislation seems to be totally ineffective at controlling or deterring from committing crimes, and totally ineffective at bringing to justice.
It is an issue that the current government with its roots in countryside seem incapable of acknowledging or tackling.
It is an issue which undermines all the governments claims that it wants to improve nature and wildlife diversity.
It is an issue which casts doubts on government claims that raptor persecution is a national wildlife crime priority.
It is an issue which the Minister for the Environment needs to address through effective and meaningful changes to the law regarding gun ownership, and wildlife management, so that there are proper deterrents to committing these crimes, and offenders quickly find themselves in court facing justice.
We are supposed to be a country governed by the Rule of Law, and at the moment it would appear there is a section of society who are able to dodge this Rule of Law, because of ineffective legislation to control their behaviour.
This is simply not acceptable.
A blood test would enable them to check whether lead in its system might be a contributory cause of its condition – as distinct from the direct physical effects of the pieces of lead shot..
Hmmm, looking at the X rays, the pellets seem to have missed anything vital, even the neck one, but I’m a little concerned with the curled claws on the left foot. Looks as if it is unable to bear weight on the foot. I hope it survives, and can be released.
We are blessed to be living amongst such beautiful creatures.. it is beyond belief that there are people out there who take pleasure in harming them, sadistic minds.