PETITION TARGET: WhatsApp
Ruptured eyes, broken bones, and shattered windpipes — these are some of the horrific injuries that swans, squirrels, and other wildlife are suffering in a disgusting trend of animal cruelty being circulated using the communication platform WhatsApp in the UK.
Over 350 images and videos of animals being tortured and killed with handheld catapults — or slingshots — have been shared on WhatsApp in a UK-wide network, according to Sky News.
The heinous acts of violence targeting innocent wildlife like deer, foxes, and birds appear to be an emerging trend on social media. Danni Rogers, a volunteer at a UK swan rescue described the severity of the injuries to be “life-changing” and “death-causing.”
In a video reportedly typical of the trend, a goose appears to be tragically injured and drowning while a teen with a catapult in hand allegedly celebrates the shot.
Another video reportedly shared in the network shows a severely injured deer helpless on the ground as a child with a catapult is appears to be kicking the innocent animal, causing the deer to twitch in pain.
Several “catapult groups” have reportedly been identified on the network. The groups total nearly 500 members — mainly children and teenagers — promoting the torture and killing of animals with catapults, according to Sky News.
Messages from the “catapult groups” appear to show pictures of dead rabbits and other animals with catapults placed on top of their corpses. Messages also appear to show members of the groups boasting about how many animals they killed in a single night.
No animal deserves to suffer gruesome injuries or die a slow, painful death for the sake of “entertainment” or a “trend” on social media.
Sign our petition urging WhatsApp to fully investigate these “catapult groups” and remove all content/groups promoting animal torture from the network to prevent future cruelty to animals.
