Man beats herring gull to death in Cornwall

A man has beaten a European Herring Gull to death in Cornwall after the bird tried to take his child's ice cream from their hand.

The unidentified man was alleged to have "repeatedly kicked" the gull in public. Reports suggested that prior to the beating the gull had been "perfectly healthy", but it died within 24 hours of the incident due to its injuries, according to Cornwall Live.

The European Herring Gull died as a result of its injuries (Jane Rowe).

Mousehole Wild Bird Hospital in Cornwall tended to the gull in its final hours and said they were "shocked and saddened" by the callous brutality of the tragedy. A spokesperson said that when the bird arrived to the hospital it was so badly injured it could barely stand or hold its head up. It went on to die hours later.

The bird hospital reminded people that all wild birds are protected and that it is an offence to injure or kill a gull. In an update to its Facebook page, the rescue centre said: "We were shocked and saddened to have admitted what was a perfectly healthy adult herring gull after it was kicked repeatedly by a member of the public for knocking an ice cream from the hands of a child in Mousehole Harbour.

"On arrival, it struggled to stand and hold its head up. We can empathise with the disappointment caused, however, violence towards wildlife is never the answer."