An animal rights group said on Wednesday it had gained assurances from Wimbledon organisers that they will stop using marksmen to shoot down pigeons.

"We confirmed with a Wimbledon spokesperson that they will not be killing any more pigeons," said a statement from British-based People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA).

The venue for the annual two-week Wimbledon tournament, the All England Club in southwest London, uses two hawks to scare away pigeons which bother players as they try to concentrate on Centre Court.

But when the hawks failed to deter the pigeons, marksmen were called in, a practice PETA called "cruel and illegal".

PETA said Wimbledon had promised it was now just using the hawks.

"The spokesperson says they had the fellow with the hawk down there this morning and that they will contact us when the tournament is over in order to figure out the best way to work on pigeon control at the club in the future," the group added.

"Shooting pigeons dead is no more acceptable than doing the same to dogs or cats," PETA added.

But despite Wimbledon's decision, the campaigners said the tournament's organisers should still be prosecuted for cruelty to animals.

AFP