Mum's horror as duckling is killed at Manvers country park
Natalie Cole (27), of Hirstgate, Mexborough, was at Manvers Lake on Tuesday with her five-year-old daughter Millicent when she made the grim discovery.
The RSPCA have confirmed they are investigating.
Natalie said: “I had just taken my daughter for a walk round the lake and a bite to eat after school.
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“I saw this group of lads - I think they had been swimming in the lake.
“When I was looking out, I saw a duckling sitting on the lake and I thought at first it was trying to get some food.
“I saw the group looking at it and as we were about to look away, they must have thrown a rock at its head.
“I saw three big mother birds trying to scare the group away but by then the duckling had died.
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“I turned round and said: ‘Have you just killed that then?’ and one of the lads turned away.
“Then one of them said: ‘You had best go get it because you’ve just killed it and there’s kids here’ and I asked him a second time, ‘Have you just killed that duckling?’
“It left me heartbroken. They walked off and that’s when I rang the RSPCA.”
Natalie added: “It horrifying just for me, but when there’s kids about you just can’t believe what’s happening.”
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A spokeswoman for the RSPCA said: “This sounds like an upsetting incident. We can confirm that we have received a report from a member of the public about this and are looking into it.”
The RSPCA is appealing for anyone who witnessed the incident to contact its Appeals Line on 0300 123 8018.