A pigeon fell out of the air onto the patio at the back of the Imperial Residence this afternoon after having been shot with an air rifle.
The shot had been fired from 316 Green Wrythe Lane, a house close to the Imperial Residence. A person living there is thought to have been visited by police officers only a few weeks ago due to him using the air rifle in their garden, having been heard to loudly complain about the incident on a mobile phone.
The pigeon landed on the patio and frantically shuffled into Wrythe Public Park, where the Emperor himself contained it under a large basket to prevent it from spreading blood over the park or injuring itself further.
After telephoning the RSPCA (a British animal welfare charity) to ask for the bird to be taken to be treated for its injury, the Emperor was asked by them to contact the British police to inform them of the incident, as both injuring a wild bird and shooting something outside of one’s own private property (as the pigeon almost certainly was) are illegal in the United Kingdom.
Two police officers soon arrived and were invited into the Imperial Residence by the Emperor, where he informed them of the situation. Despite the near-certainty that the bird had been shot – it had fallen out of the air after a loud “crack”, with the people at the nearby house having been heard mere minutes ago talking about “shoot[ing] it” after having been seen using the air rifle in their garden – the lack of an actual eyewitness meant that the police could take no action against them without the case being brought to court.
The Emperor declined to press charges, only expressing concern for the welfare of the pigeon. The police officers waited for several minutes for the RSPCA officers to arrive, but then had to depart, leaving a note with contact details should the RSPCA wish to press charges against the shooters.
After some time, an RSPCA officer telephoned the Imperial Residence stating that they were over an hour away and that it would be better for the bird to be taken to a nearby vet. However, there was nobody in the Imperial Residence who was allowed to drive on British roads, with the Emperor Mother and Emperor Father being at work and visiting friends respectively.
Lord Michael – uncle of the Emperor and twelfth in line to the Throne – kindly came to Wrythe and drove the Emperor and the pigeon to a nearby veterinary clinic, where the pigeon was given treatment and will soon be transferred to an animal sanctuary.
Lord Michael has received official thanks both from the Emperor and from Lord Hengest Crannis, Minister for the Environment, for transporting the pigeon to the vets.
