Warning: This article may be distressing
A fox has been shot and killed in a deliberate attack in Croydon.
Wildlife charity The Fox Project is offering a £3,000 reward for information leading to a conviction after the animal was found in severe pain in a garden in New Addington.
The fox, named Ripley by rescuers, had been shot four times with an air rifle, with pellets lodged in her leg, spine, and near her stomach.
Nicki Townsend, who has worked at the charity for over four years, said: "She had been left alive to endure unimaginable fear and agony, only able to painfully drag herself to cover.
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"No animal should be treated this way. These sentient creatures have no choice but to share our world. Their only crime is trying to live.
"When you see something this distressing, it is horrendous, especially when it was done on purpose by another human being."
The spinal injury had caused irreversible paralysis, and the charity’s veterinary team decided to put the animal to sleep.
The charity says it has received several anonymous tips, which have been passed on to the National Wildlife Crime Unit.
Ms Townsend has also called for tighter regulations on air rifles and catapults, which she says are commonly used in attacks on wildlife.
She said: "Catapults and air rifles are a problem here.
"There are animals on a frequent basis coming to us and other wildlife rescues that have been pelleted.
"There should be laws on who can own these sorts of weapons and penalties for those who use them."
The Fox Project is urging anyone with information to come forward. For more information visit here.
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