THE senseless killing of a Palmnut Vulture in Empangeni this week has sparked a fiery debate over the ownership of pellet guns without valid licences.
The male bird, which is one of the rarest raptors in South Africa, was found shot with a pellet gun at around midday on Tuesday on Richard Gordon Drive in Kildare.
The highly protected species is normally seen in and around Mtunzini because of the profusion of Raphia palms.
‘We had two breeding pairs here in Empangeni until Tuesday,’ said Empangeni SPCA Senior Inspector Roland Fivaz.
‘The male was found shot through the femur on the right leg and fell onto someone’s property. The pellet pierced his intestines and exited on the top of the opposite leg. Both legs were broken in the process. He died on the vet’s table while Dr Geoff Fourie of the Empangeni Veterinary Hospital and I were trying to save him,’ Fivaz said.
The Empangeni SPCA has called on residents to report such incidents immediately.
‘How long are we going to tolerate these onslaughts on our animals? The second your neighbour fires a pellet gun in town, he has already broken two laws – namely the Firearms Act and the City of uMhlathuze bylaws. Turning a blind eye will not make this problem go away and we have to put a stop to this practice,’ said Fivaz.
Anger
Residents turned to the Empangeni SPCA Facebook page this week to vent their anger following the incident.
‘Oh no! Such beautiful and majestic birds don’t deserve to die so cruelly and this is totally unnecessary. It’s very sad,’ said Estelle Nagappa.
‘Pellet guns should be outlawed,’ said Kevin Jacobs.
On Wednesday, Shaun Francis of Sugarhill Estates told the Zululand Observer that the company would offer a R2 000 reward for the successful prosecution of the perpetrators.
‘Why are parents still buying pellet guns for their children without valid licences? It was a high power pellet gun used in this incident and these weapons can fire a bullet faster than a 9mm gun at 1200 feet per second. We have had many incidents where cats, dogs and Indian Mynahs have been shot in Richards Bay and Empangeni. The first week, children are happy shooting at targets but when they are bored, they look for moving targets,’ explained Fivaz.
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