N.J. teen charged in pigeon abuse at Pa. gun club

    A New Jersey teenager hired to humanely kill birds after a suburban Philadelphia gun club’s pigeon shoot has been charged with animal cruelty.

    Bensalem Police Lt. William McVey says the 17-year-old boy had been hired by the Philadelphia Gun Club to euthanize injured birds during the Jan. 30 shoot.

    An animal rights group filmed video of the alleged abuse and released the footage on its YouTube page earlier this month. A clip shows someone in a red hoodie flinging, throwing rocks at and poking injured birds.

    McVey says the teen isn’t being identified because of his age. He says gun club members helped identify him from the footage.

    • WHYY thanks our sponsors — become a WHYY sponsor

    The group, called Showing Animals Respect and Kindness, or SHARK, says it is pleased the teen is facing charges.

    Sean Corr, a lawyer for the club, says the club cooperated fully.

    WHYY is your source for fact-based, in-depth journalism and information. As a nonprofit organization, we rely on financial support from readers like you. Please give today.

    Want a digest of WHYY’s programs, events & stories? Sign up for our weekly newsletter.

    Together we can reach 100% of WHYY’s fiscal year goal