KEY POINTS:
A seagull was allegedly set on fire after being doused with diesel by three young men in Papamoa on Saturday night.
Police were called to the carpark at Papamoa Domain at 10.30pm after members of the public at the surf club spotted fire by a white van and believed it was ablaze.
Police discovered diesel had been poured over a seagull and it had been set alight by three teenagers, aged 16, 17 and 18.
Sergeant Mark Pakes said it was a random incident that had shocked police. "This is some seriously sick behaviour by some seriously troubled individuals who need to take a long, hard look at themselves," he said.
Mr Pakes said he believed the three young men were part of the "boy racer fraternity" as they were carrying small tins of diesel in a petrol- powered van.
Police had not established the bird's time of death, and it was possibly dead before it was set alight. Police will be visiting the teenagers this week.
Department of Conservation biodiversity ranger Dave Wills said he heard the occasional story of people doing horrible things to animals, but this was the first time he had heard of a bird being mistreated in the Tauranga region.
He said if the seagull was a red-billed gull, it was a fully-protected species and the culprits could be charged under the Wildlife Act 1953.
He said if the bird was alive when it was set alight, it was likely to have been injured as healthy birds were wary of people.
Tauranga SPCA Manager Matt Franklin said if the seagull was alive at the time, the organisation would look at pressing charges.
- BOP Times
