A trio of vile thugs who killed a goose and maimed a swan are being hunted by cops.
A shocked member of the public found the birds.
It was reported that the swan had been struck with a ball bearing.
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It was also reported that three young men, aged in their late teens to early 20s, were spotted near the pond.
The first male is described as being white, aged in his late teens to early 20s, 5ft 9ins tall and of a large build.
He was wearing a baggy T-shirt and had messy medium length hair.
The second male was described as being white, aged in his late teens to early 20s, 5ft 9ins tall and of medium build. He was wearing a black tracksuit top and had a slick back hairstyle.
The third male is described as being white, aged in his late teens to early 20s, 6ft 1ins tall and of slim build. He was wearing a grey hoodie and had dark brown hair.
The shocking incident happened at around 7.30pm on Friday (9 May) in Fleet, Hampshire, as reported by Need To Know.
A Hampshire Police spokesperson said: “We were called at 11.16am on 10 May by a member of the public who had found the birds.
“The Swan Sanctuary was notified and collected the injured bird.
“One of the group reportedly used a slingshot to hit a pigeon, which injured the bird.
“Since this was reported to us, officers have been carrying out various lines of enquiry and are now in a position to release e-fit images of three males they would like to speak to.
“We believe they can help us with our investigation and would urge them, or anyone who knows their identity, to get in touch with us.”
PC Neve Fitzgerald, from the Fleet Neighbourhood Policing Team, said: “We appreciate incidents of this nature have a huge impact on local communities as intentionally harming defenceless birds and wildlife is shocking and it simply won’t be tolerated.
“We want to reassure the community that we are taking these reports extremely seriously and have been carrying out a number of enquiries since it was first reported.
“Please take a look at the images we have released today – if you recognise the people in the e-fits, please get in touch with us.
“We would like to take this opportunity to remind people that it is an offence under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 to kill, harm, or take a wild bird.
“It is also an offence to take, damage or destroy the nest of a wild bird.
“We would also urge anyone with information about crimes against wildlife, including individuals acting suspiciously around wild birds or active nests, or anyone carrying or using catapults in their local area to please report this to police.”
Locals were left furious.
Lily Whitcher said: “How could they do something so evil to a defenceless animal?”
David Smith added: “Hope this gets shared far and wide and you catch these parasites.”
And Christine Hicks said: “Where does such evil come from?”
Anyone with information is asked to call 101 quoting reference number 44250203291.
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