A holidaymaker has brutally punched a seagull after the bird snatched his Cornish pasty.
The incident, which took place in St Ives yesterday afternoon, has sparked widespread outrage after pictures and accounts of the attack were shared widely on social media.
Witnesses described the man walking with his wife and child when a herring gull snatched his food, prompting him to seize the bird and repeatedly punch it in the chest while holding it trapped under his arm so it could not escape, the Daily Mail reports.
Eyewitness Rosie Reynolds, who was working at a nearby boat tour stall, said she watched the attack unfold in front of her.
She said: "He just grabbed it and had its head in his hand and punched it hard in the chest. It was sort of held in his arm so it couldn't escape.
"After three or four punches the bird went limp then he threw it to the ground where it just lay there — its chest cavity was caved in and I think it just went off to die."
Ms Reynolds said she confronted the man immediately, along with other bystanders, and told him what he had done was illegal.
She said his wife appeared equally shocked and told him the same, but the man responded by calling Ms Reynolds a derogatory name and telling her to leave him alone.
The attack happened after the bird snatched the Cornish delicacy from the man's hands
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She added: "Tourists sometimes kick out at the seagulls but this is the worst I've ever seen."
Ms Reynolds provided an update on Facebook, explaining they placed the injured bird in a "quiet corner" and after she finished her shift, saw the animal "trundling around".
She wrote: "When we went to go and see it to leave, it was gone. I'm really hoping it was just extreme shock, but I also know it has a sizeable rupture on its chest and took some ridiculously hard punches."
A nearby takeaway owner who served the man shortly before the incident said he had been rude and demanding and his wife by contrast had seemed pleasant.
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Herring gulls are a protected species under the Wildlife and Countryside Act, with offenders facing unlimited fines and up to six months in prison
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He recalled the man mentioning he needed to drive back to Yorkshire as soon as possible.
Another witness, Pauly Ford, posted on Facebook describing watching the man grab the seagull and punch it "twice really, really hard" at the harbour, adding that the bird was left with "a big hole in its chest" and was unlikely to survive.
Herring gulls are a protected species under the Wildlife and Countryside Act, with offenders facing unlimited fines and up to six months in prison.
Devon and Cornwall Police have now issued an appeal for witnesses and CCTV footage following the incident, confirming they received a report about a man punching and beating a seagull on the St Ives seafront.
A force spokesman said: "Despite posts being widely shared online, the matter was not reported to us by anyone present at the scene."
No arrests have been made so far, Devon and Cornwall constabulary have confirmed.
Police are asking anyone with information or footage to come forward - get in touch with them via 101 or their website quoting 50260148881.