Chihuahua pecked to death by gang of angry seagulls

The five-month-old Chihuahua was swooped on and killed by birds. Photo / Thinkstock

A dog owner was horrified to find her beloved chihuahua was pecked to death by a gang of angry seagulls.

Nikki Wayne, 57, had previously spotted the birds diving for five-month-old Bella and never let her pet play unsupervised outside her home in Honiton, Devon.

But the tiny dog managed to sneak out when the mother-of-five was in the shower after she left the back door slightly ajar.

The seagulls then swooped on Bella and killed her before she could make it back inside the house.

Ms Wayne, who moved to Devon from Canada a year ago, described Bella as a "really playful puppy" who would always want to roam around the garden.

She said she first noticed the seagulls perched on the roof, peering into the garden at the tiny dog and decided to seek advice.

"I called my vets and they said I should make sure I go out with her every moment she went outside in my back yard," she said.

In an effort to protect her pet, Ms Wayne would accompany her outside, and was surprised by the brazen nature of the gulls.

She said: "I got really worried about it. They started to swoop down to my face level, brushing me."

The seagulls swooped on Bella the Chihuahua. Photo / Thinkstock

After that Bella was not allowed outside without an escort and the door was kept shut but a fortnight ago she made the fateful mistake of leaving it slightly ajar and the dog managed to nudge it open.

Ms Wayne says she will never forget the incident, and has now issued warnings to other residents to remain vigilant to prevent another attack.

An RSPCA spokesman said: "This sound like an extremely upsetting incident and our thoughts are, of course, with the dog's owner.

"Incidents like this are extremely uncommon though, and we do not want dog owners to panic."

- Daily Mail