Volunteers 'angry' as pigeons found dead at pier

Animal welfare volunteers say they are "really angry" after an apparent catapult attack which left a dozen pigeons dead.

The dead birds were discovered underneath South Parade Pier in Southsea by volunteers from Wild Hearts Rescue and Rehabilitation.

Alice Pryor, who runs the independent rescue centre based in Emsworth, said the dead birds were taken to a vets for examination which showed the majority had "evidence of catapult wounds".

Hampshire Police said it was called at 8:30 BST on Saturday to a report that a number of dead pigeons had been found underneath the pier on Friday, and is urging anyone with information to get in touch.

Pryor is looking after two birds that survived the attack, which she described as "awful".

The vets' report also showed one bird had stones embedded, likely from being catapulted.

Pryor also said one of the surviving pigeons had a damaged wing and a broken leg, and injuries that were "consistent with being stamped on".

She said: "It's doing okay. It's had treatment. It's recovering, and I think that it should be able to be released eventually. It's going to take a lot of rehab," she added.

The other surviving pigeon "was near enough dead" when the volunteer picked it up, however it has since started recovering.

"It is still alive at the moment, but it had severe twitching and seizures because of the neurological issues swell into the brain."

"It makes us really angry because obviously we're all pigeon lovers... they're just trying to survive," said Pryor.

"They've all got feelings, they feel pain, and it's just heartbreaking to know what they've gone through.

"One of the pigeons that I've got is just a baby. It's only a couple of months old, and it's probably lost its parents now."

Pryor said "it's not an isolated incident", with a similar incident happening at the same pier in December.

The BBC has approached the RSPCA for comment.