Man Violently Beats Seagull To Death After His Family Injures Bird With Drink Cans

A seagull in England was allegedly beaten to death with a children's shovel Saturday by a man as beachgoers watched in horror.

The incident took place at around 5.30 p.m. ET on the Porthgwidden Beach in Cornwall. Several children, who were visiting the beach with their families, witnessed the appalling scene unfold, Wales Online reported.

An unidentified witness told Wales Online the members of a family, who were sitting next to her, initially injured the seagull by repeatedly hurling fizzy drink cans at it before they beat it to death with a kid's spade.

"We have just witnessed a family throwing Coke cans at a seagull, then as if this wasn’t bad enough, because one was badly injured from the can throwing, one of the men beat it to death with a kids' spade in front of all of our children and a whole beach full of families," the woman told Wales Online. "We then confronted them to state how disgusted we were with their behavior, to be verbally abused by them."

Authorities at the Devon and Cornwall police departments responded to the scene, but the group had left the beach by then.

"The police have been called but not much they can do without a name and address," another witness told Cornwall Live. "They then left the beach, leaving behind rubbish, towels, and sunscreen. ... It was absolutely awful. In my whole life, I have never witnessed that kind of violence against an animal."

A visitor at the beach, unrelated to the family, scooped up the bird's corpse and took it away from the public view, according to News.com.au. The police haven't confirmed yet if the incident was being investigated.

A woman, who snapped the photo of the man who fatally beat the legally protected bird, said she intends to share his photo online, hoping he will be identified. However, she added she fears backlash from the group, Cornwall Live reported.

Intentionally killing a seagull or destroying its nests and eggs are criminal offenses by The Royal Society For The Prevention Of Cruelty To Animals (RSPCA) as the birds are protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981.

"It's illegal to intentionally kill, take or injure gulls, take or destroy their eggs, or damage or destroy any gull nests while they're in use or being built - unless you're acting under license," the RSPCA website stated.