Red list gull 'deliberately' killed at McDonald's

The seagull, affectionately named Albert Tross, is reported to have been killed in a McDonald's car park

The RSPCA is investigating claims a red-listed gull was deliberately killed at a fast-food restaurant just weeks after being saved by a rescue centre.

The animal welfare charity is looking at reports that a great black-backed gull was repeatedly run over in the car park of McDonald's in Harwich, Essex.

The bird had been nursed back to health at the Wildlives Rescue and Rehabilitation Centre near Colchester having been found injured.

Rosie Catford, from the centre, said: "He became special to us so we were in unbelievable shock and couldn’t believe what we were hearing."

The adult gull has a white head and breast, with the black back that gives it its name

The great black-backed gull is on the UK Red List and is considered a species of conservation concern. It is illegal to intentionally kill them.

This particular seagull, affectionately named Albert Tross by the rescue centre due its large size, was released back into the wild in October and could have lived for a further 20 years.

The bird had been found starving, unable to stand, and very dehydrated before Ms Catford and her team tube-fed him and gradually nursed him back to good health.

Shortly after its return to the wild it found its way into the car park of a McDonald’s where a customer killed it before driving off "laughing", according to witnesses.

The incident is said to have happened in the car park of McDonald's in Harwich

“It doesn’t matter if it is an endangered species or just an animal, for someone to deliberately do something like this is unspeakable,” added Ms Catford, whose rescue charity is based at Thorrington.

“The gull, I believe, was disembowelled and found in a very bad way, but I don’t believe the death was instantaneous.

“Hopefully it went directly to a vets to be put out of its suffering. It is very distressing.”

A spokesperson for the RSPCA said it was an "upsetting incident".

"We would ask if anyone has any information regarding this incident to please call the RSPCA inspectorate appeal line on 0300 123 8018 quoting incident 01385508," they said.

Great black-backed gulls have a chequered plumage when they are juveniles or in their first winter