Ducks beheaded in gruesome attack (From Warrington Guardian)

Ducks beheaded in gruesome attack

10:00am Friday 21st December 2012 in News

AN animal lover has been left devastated after his two pet ducks were beheaded in a gruesome attack.

Kevin Powlesland, aged 41, was house sitting for family on The Park in Penketh when his two Pekin ducks were killed, with just the heads left behind.

He had left them in an enclosed garden at the rear of the property but when getting up to feed them on Sunday, December 9, he was greeted by the grisly scene.

“I got up in the morning and made my usual noises but they didn’t come running,” said Mr Powlesland.

“I looked around and there was two heads lying on the floor that had been cut off - there was blood everywhere.

“It was awful.”

Mr Powlesland, of Liverpool Road, Great Sankey, had heard banging at around 1am but thought it was the wind.

He had raised the ducks from the age of eight weeks after contacting their former owner through Facebook who said they could not care for them any more.

The Golden Square security guard believes they were killed for meat, with Pekin duck, also known as Long Island duck, commonly used in Chinese recipes.

He was looking after the home of Monica Frayne, who had been on holiday in Cyprus.

An alleyway runs down the back of properties on The Park, which separates homes from their gardens.

A gate in Mrs Frayne’s garden had been smashed down to get to the garden where the two ducks were kept.

She said: “All of our neighbours are pet lovers and everyone was delighted to come along with their kids and feed them.

“I don’t know how anyone could think of doing that.

“They were beautiful big white ducks that didn’t harm anybody.”

Her grandson, Niall, aged 2, would often play with the friendly birds and she says he has been ‘very upset’ by the incident.

She said: “He used to go out in the garden and call them by quacking and they would come running over to him.

“It’s shocking, just beyond belief that someone could do something like this.

“I think that people who have got pets in the area should be aware this has happened.”