Distraught Amanzimtoti bird rescuer speaks out after horrific Zulweni Gardens shootings

LOCAL bird rescuer Carlyn Hattingh’s yard in Zulweni Gardens was under attack by a resident, believed to be from Zulweni Gardens, who with a pellet gun, began shooting at birds both wild and tame on Tuesday, 15 January.

One of Carlyn’s tamed rescues were shot and killed.

Husband Simon Hattingh took to Facebook page Amanzimtoti Trader in an effort to find the cruel neighbour who attempted to kill both wild and tamed birds in his garden and endanger his wife, Carlyn, who was in the garden at the time.

“As you know my wife rehabilitates birds,” he posted. “Today some idiot started shooting into our yard with what appears to have been a pellet gun, while Carlyn was out in the yard. They tried to shoot our pigeons who were sitting on the garage roof and then shot and killed one of our beloved rescue birds. I calculated where the shots had come from and have marked it on a map. Someone must know a person who owns a pellet gun in this area. We have also been seeing people reporting their cats missing in our area so we might have a psycho around.”

Carlyn recalled the traumatic experience.
“I was in my yard raking and birds were naturally in my garden too. Suddenly I heard bullets coming through the air all around me. I could not see where it was coming from as I was scared to get hit in the face or eyes.

One hit the tip of the roof where my pet pigeon was sitting and the bird then flew off. Another hit the tree where an indigenous dove was sitting and the dove flew off, and then another hit my Mynah. The bullet went in the back and shot through her, she dropped to the ground and died. I screamed ‘stop shooting’ and it stopped,” she said.

Carlyn, someone who spends her time and money rescuing and rehabilitating birds, is now too afraid to let any of her tamed birds out into her yard, for fear of the shooter.

On 20 December 2018 the rescuer found a bird collapsed in her yard. The vet confirmed it had been shot by a pellet gun in the leg.

“Cats have been going missing in our area and after this experience I’m led to think that they’re being shot by this same person. Since posting about the incident, I have received messages explaining that someone is definitely shooting birds and monkeys in our area,” she said.

Carlyn stated that focus should not only be placed on the killing of birds, but rather the recklessness with which this shooter so readily aims and fires for them. Firing a pellet gun at a creature is a problem, but doing so in a residential area and without caring that a fellow neighbour is in fact in the garden among the ‘targets’ being fired at, shows that the area is at great risk.

If you have any information about a Zulweni Garden (or surrounds) resident shooting animals, contact Simon on 076-397-3032 or contact SAPS on 031-913-1300, as a case has been opened.

Organisations have been approached for both animal welfare and law related comments. Updates to follow.

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