Baby seagull bludgeoned to death in Liverpool city centre

The alleged incident took place in the Whitechapel on July 1, where a man was seen picking up a bird from the pavement and hitting it against a litter bin before throwing the animal inside.

The baby gull was retrieved from inside the bin by staff at a nearby shop but it had already sadly died.

Footage of the alleged incident, which is said to have happened at about 8.20pm, has now been passed to the RSPCA.

The animal welfare charity has released images of a man who was seen in the vicinity at the time and could have vital information which may be able to help with their enquiries.

RSPCA Inspector Louise Showering, said: “We’ve received upsetting footage of a juvenile gull, who was unable to fly, allegedly being picked up from the pavement and hit with some force against a bin in Liverpool. The bird was later retrieved from inside but had sadly died.

“We’re very keen to establish what happened and we’d like to speak to this man as we believe he may have important information which will help with our enquiries. We hope this individual now comes forward or can be identified.”

The grey-bearded man is thought to be in his sixties and was wearing glasses, a dark coat and a t-shirt with a distinctive logo. He is believed to have been holding a bottle in his right hand.

Anyone with information about the incident is asked to contact the RSPCA’s Inspectorate appeal line on 0300 123 8018 quoting reference number 01566475.