Move over bullfighting hunting , and dogfighting —there's a new blood sport in town: Wimbledon Tennis . Yep, you read that correctly: The oldest tennis championship in the world—the home of manicured green grass courts and lily white uniforms—now has a blood-red body count. Don't go jumping to conclusions: It's not that PETA friend John McEnroe has unleashed his infamous temper on the court. No, the crime here is far more serious than a few choice expletives hurled at an intractable tournament official.
Hold on to your strawberries and (vegan) cream for this one—it seems that Wimbledon has hired sharpshooters to kill pigeons. And what crime did these pigeons commit to merit capital punishment? They pooped. More specifically, they pooped on some tables in an open-air restaurant frequented by media folks who cover Wimbledon matches. Now, I'm no expert in the area of pigeon control, but here's an idea: How about getting a few patio umbrellas? Call me Einstein, but I'd guess that my solution is a whole lot cheaper—in terms of money and lives.
And even if Wimbledon officials don't give a whit about compassion or public opinion, here's something else that they might consider: Their actions seem to be illegal, as in they're likely breaking the law. A U.K. law passed in 2006 prohibits "lethal control" of animals, except as a last resort. PETA Vice President Bruce Friedrich had more than a few choice words for Wimbledon, but here are a few that we can print:
Since the use of marksmen to kill pigeons appears to have been carried out as a first, rather than a last resort, and not out of a concern for public health, but rather because the animals were deemed inconvenient by players, you appear to be in clear violation of the law.
Posted by Grace Friedan
A pigeon 
Animal rights activists have complained after officials from the  shot down , allegedly because they were an inconvenience to players. This move was possibly illegal under Animal Welfare Act 2006, which prevents using lethal force unless it is used as a last resort.

''Wikinews'' spoke to Bruce Friedrich, Vice President of , which has campaigned against the move. He said that "killing animals so quickly and for such frivolous reasons is cruel, illegal, and won’t work."

''Wikinews'' has also been told by Friedrich that "the  should still be prosecuted for cruelty to animals, since they broke the law and should be held accountable."The Wimbledon championships is the most popular tennis event in the UK
Violation of the Animal Welfare act carries a maximum sentence of "imprisonment for a term not exceeding 51 weeks" or a fine "not exceeding £20,000"

Wikinews has also been given a copy of the letter sent to Wimbledon officials. Below is the text of the first paragraph:


 
The All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club (which runs the Wimbledon Championships) has not yet released a statement regarding the incident, although '''' has reported that one will be made after the tournament.