Ripponden rooster stolen, strangled and dumped in stream

Eagley was given to the family by a local farmer when he was a chick

A rooster which was rescued as a chick has been stolen from its coop in West Yorkshire and strangled before being dumped in a stream.

The 10-month-old bird, called Eagley, was raised as a family pet in Ripponden, near Hebden Bridge.

Owner Sara Tasker said the coop was secured with several locks and "only a human" could have let it out and broken its neck in the attack on Monday.

She is now offering a £500 reward for information leading to the killer.

Eagley was in his own coop but had previously been in a paddock with more than 20 hens, none of which had been touched.

Ms Tasker, who posts about Eagley on her Instagram account, Me and Orla, said she had never had any complaints about noise but believed cockerels being killed because of their crowing was not uncommon.

He was named by Ms Tasker's daughter who said his face looked like an eagle's

Ms Tasker said her nine-year-old daughter had been left devastated by the death of the family pet.

"I took him in as a day-old chick- a local hobby farmer gave him to me to try and save as he was failing to thrive and had problems with his legs," she said.

Ms Tasker said she knew something was wrong when she didn't hear his call on Tuesday morning, and when she approached the paddock he did not come running.

"It was executed with such stealth and intention. The paddock is very secure, to keep predators out," she said.

"But we didn't think it needed to be human-proof.

"There's always a surprising amount of resistance to general countryside activity - last summer there was a peacock wandering the village and people were so upset they called a village coffee morning about it!

"There are always people complaining about cows mooing, muck spreading, trees blocking light etc. I honestly think they'd be happier living in a supermarket car park."

'Snapped neck'

Ms Tasker said the paddock was away from any main roads and you would need local knowledge to know it was there.

She said: "His neck had been cleanly snapped, which makes me think it was someone familiar with handling livestock. It was all so cleanly done."

The incident has been reported to West Yorkshire Police and anyone with information is being urged to contact them.

Ms Tasker has also reported it to the RSPCA, who said: "This is a very upsetting incident and it must have been incredibly distressing for the owner.

"We would urge anyone with information to report this matter to us."

Ms Tasker hand-reared the rooster from a chick