Mexborough swan death: Bird battered with 'plank of wood'
- Published
The swan was killed by the River Don canal path in Mexborough
A swan has been battered to death by two men who were believed to be wielding a plank of wood.
The pair were seen repeatedly hitting the bird on a path near the River Don in Mexborough on Sunday.
South Yorkshire Police have been checking CCTV to identify the men, who headed in the direction of the George and Dragon pub on Church Street after the attack.
Councillor Sean Gibbons said a swan had also been attacked with a crossbow.
"We're all absolutely appalled by this. The people who've done this are evil and must be brought to justice for battering a swan to death," he said.
"They've been targeting swans and we believe this one was killed with a plank of wood. I honestly don't know what goes through people's heads to kill such a beautiful animal."
The George and Dragon is near Mexborough Top Lock on the main line of the Sheffield and South Yorkshire Navigation system of canals
South Yorkshire Police were called at about 13:45 BST on Sunday by "a member of the public who had witnessed two individuals killing a swan".
A spokesman said: "The suspects, believed to be male, were reportedly seen hitting a swan with a stick on the River Don canal path."
Officers want to hear from anyone with information which could help identify those involved, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.
Follow BBC Yorkshire on Facebook, external, Twitter, external and Instagram, external. Send your story ideas to yorkslincs.news@bbc.co.uk, external.