Criminals use lime sticks to target songbirds in Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire police are asking members of the public to be on the lookout for ‘lime sticks’ after the discovery of some just outside Dursley in South Gloucestershire on the weekend of 16/17 January.
Lime sticks are used to illegally trap wild birds which are get stuck on the sticky substance placed along the stick. Any bird landing on a lime-stick becomes stuck, falls upside down, and as it flutters to free itself it becomes progressively more attached to the stick. The birds do not usually die quickly: this is a long, lingering death.
They are more commonly seen in use, illegally, on continental Europe where songbirds are trapped to be eaten in a dish called ambelopoulia, so it is rare for them to be found in Britain.
It is possible they were being used here to catch birds for the wild bird trade, Gloucestershire police said.
They are asking members of the public to be vigilant when walking out in rural areas. If you see any bird traps like these pictured, please report them to police quoting incident 231 of 17 January.
This can be done through our online form here: gloucestershire.police.uk/report
29 January 2021
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