Hunters take aim at an animal rights group's video drone

By Meghan Keneally
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Spyware: This 'Angel Aircraft' used by an animal rights' group was shot down by hunters in South Carolina

Spyware: This 'Angel Aircraft' used by an animal rights' group was shot down by hunters in South Carolina

An animal rights group's inventive plan to use a remote-controlled spycraft to record the actions of hunters was thwarted when the hunters turned their guns on the mini plane.

A small aircraft that was equipped with a video camera was sent over a pigeon shooting range in South Carolina when it was shot down just minutes later by the hunters.

A group called SHARK, which stands for Showing Animals Respect and Kindness, had publicized their plans to use the drone to record the pigeon shoot at Broxton Bridge Plantation in South Carolina.

'The thugs shot across a public highway which- like criminal damage to property- is illegal,' said the group's president Steve Hindi.

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Damage: Shortly after liftoff, shots rang out and the plane was hit, causing parts of the wings to be broken and prevent the plane from flying

Damage: Shortly after liftoff, shots rang out and the plane was hit, causing parts of the wings to be broken and prevent the plane from flying

Reported: The group estimates it was $200-$300 worth of damage

Reported: The group estimates it was $200-$300 worth of damage

'But that's what you expect from pigeon shooters and their hosts like the Broxton Bridge Plantation,' he continued in the video of the plane being shot down.

The video was taped on February 12 and you can hear shots ring out as the plane begins to be visible in the airspace over the shooting range.

Once the craft lands, the viewer can see how parts of the helicopter's wings have been shot off which would obviously make flying more difficult for the aircraft.

Pigeon shooting is not illegal in South Carolina, as they are considered an exception to the law that prevents hunters from shooting non-game birds.

Caught on tape: The purpose of the plane's flight was to record footage of a pigeon shoot taking place in South Carolina, seen partially in the left corner

Caught on tape: The purpose of the plane's flight was to record footage of a pigeon shoot taking place in South Carolina, seen partially in the left corner

That said, the practice is strongly discouraged by animal rights groups, like SHARK.

'Their behaviour has turned to the criminal all for the love of killing,' Mr Hindi said of the hunters.

Mr Hindi then filed an incident report with the Colleton County Sheriff's Department, saying that the shooting was malicious damage to property and he estimated it would cost between $200 and $300 to repair the damages.

'This was SHARK's first encounter with the Broxton Bridge Plantation, but it will certainly not be the last,' he said in a news release.

'We are already making plans for a considerably upscaled action in 2013.'

This is not the first time that one of their video drones, which they call Angel Aircraft. A similar drone-shooting happened when SHARK was filming a pigeon shoot in Wing Pointe, Pennsylvania in January of last year.

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