GEORGE NEWS - A possible case of animal cruelty was sparked last night, Saturday 11 July, after a Facebook post about 3 children apparently trying to catch seagulls using fishing hooks and bait had many readers fuming.

According to the post by a Wilderness resident, the children were catching seagulls with baited hooks and trying to fly them like kites.

"Found these kids and another older one, catching seagulls with baited hooks and then trying to fly them like kites still smirking while watching the gulls struggle as their innards are pulled out," read the post that has since been removed.

"I saw the kids on Leentjiesklip beach when I went for a walk at approximately 17:30. At first I thought they were throwing left over bait to the gulls and I didn't really pay attention," he said.

It was only on his way back when he realised what horrors the children were up to.

"I saw two fishing lines on the beach. Both had hooks and bait attached to it. A third hook was already stuck in a seagull's mouth and the children were trying to fly him like a kite," the shocked resident said.

"I rushed to the aid of the bird and a man, who said he was the children's father, approached me and assisted me to get the hook from the bird's mouth, but not before suggesting we simply cut the line and let the bird fly away hook and all."

They eventually managed to free the bird.

The post led to several complaints with the Garden Route SPCA, who later notified Facebook users that they are looking into the matter and anyone with information regarding the incident is asked to contact them.

What added injury to insult was that the day before, while the same Wilderness resident was canoeing, he came across a dead cormorant strangled in fishing tackle stuck in a tree.

George Herald has not been able to the reach the children's parents for comment, but will keep trying.

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