CRUEL yobs in Bridlington were seen kicking baby seagulls to death – and filming the sick attack on their mobile phones.
The gang of youths was seen attacking the defenceless chicks in the Richmond Street area – and one local resident described the scenes as "horrific".
The woman, who did not want to be named for fear of reprisals, said: "I just don't know why anyon
e would do such a thing.
"I can't begin to imagine what they are thinking. It's disturbing that they can get pleasure from hurting and killing defenceless animals.
"The fact that they filmed the whole thing on their mobile phones makes it even worse."
The resident saw the youths kicking the baby gulls last Saturday evening, and the following morning the street was littered with the dead bodies of the birds.
Three baby gulls died from their injuries, but a fourth had survived and was taken to the vets by the concerned resident, who reported the incident to Humberside Police and the RSPCA.
The RSPCA is keen to investigate the incident and local inspector Geoff Edmond urged any residents who witnessed the cruelty to get in touch.
He said: "These kind of attacks are appalling, just terrible.
"At this time of year juvenile herring gulls are taking their first steps in the world and trying to follow their parents.
"Throughout June and July there will be a lot of them around Bridlington streets as they come down from their nests and try to find their feet.
"Although they can be big, in reality the gulls that were killed were probably no more than three to four weeks old.
"They were very vulnerable and would have just been looking for their parents when they were attacked.
"The youths who did this should be ashamed of themselves."
Mr Edmond added that the gulls are protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, making it an offence to intentionally harm them.
Anybody found guilty of intentionally causing injury or death to the birds could face a fine or even a jail term.
The RSPCA is investigating the incident and anybody with any information, or who witnessed that attacks, should contact them on 0300 1234999.
if you want to leave a comment, you can add one here.You will need to register as a user on the website - click on the button at the bottom of the page to do this and follow the instructions.
Or if you would prefer, you can e-mail a comment to the editor
