Charity believe bird which had to be euthanised was 'deliberately injured'

A local charity believes a bird which had to be euthanised was 'deliberately injured'.

Manx Wild Bird Aid took to social media this week to tell the tale of the poor gull.

The bird in question was picked up yesterday by the charity -  its wing was hanging off and it was so badly injured, it had to be put to sleep.

Meanwhile, earlier this week a healthy male gull was hit by a car, breaking its wing so badly - he also had to be euthanized immediately.

The charity says it's taken in 1,300 birds so far this year - 238 of which have been gulls, making them their most frequently admitted species of bird.

Those behind the charity said:

"While we understand some will be accidental, we also know that gulls are targeted deliberately and the large number of dead and injured birds on our roads at the moment is nothing short of suspicious. 

Please do your very best to avoid birds whenever it is safe to do so.  No matter how many times we do it, picking up a badly injured bird clearly in pain never gets any easier for our volunteers.  This is especially true when the road conditions would suggest the incident could easily have been avoided.  

If you see someone deliberately hurting a gull or indeed any bird or animal, please get as much information as you can, such as registration number and make/model of the vehicle concerned and report it to the IOM Constabulary."