A beheaded cat was left out for children to see at a playground in London in a ‘deliberate’ act.
The bloodied head of the animal was ‘very carefully’ placed at the bottom of one of the slides at the Homerton Grove Adventure Playground, in Hackney.
The grisly discovery was made by a staff member as she was opening up the park for the afternoon on April 24.
Michael Harrington, an RSPCA animal rescue officer, said the head was discovered near the main entrance on Wardle Street.
‘This is a truly horrifying story. We were alerted to the discovery of a dismembered black and white cat head at a children’s playground last Monday,’ he added.
‘The investigation is ongoing, but first impressions appear to indicate that this was a deliberate act.
‘The head was carefully placed at the bottom of a children’s play apparatus and left in a way that it would be easily found.
‘We have been informed that this particular piece of apparatus is one of the most used and popular things in the playground.
’This must have been a shocking discovery for the member of staff who stumbled upon it, but we are profoundly grateful that it was not found by a small child who could have been deeply traumatised.’
The RSPCA has been unable to obtain CCTV footage from the scene due to a lack of cameras.
It is believed the incident took place between 6pm on April 23 and 3.30pm on April 24.
The charity is appealing for witnesses to contact their appeals line in confidence on 0300 123 8018.
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