FEARS of "abhorrent" hunting activities in Lanarkshire are on the rise following the discovery of the mauled body of a badger.
The Scottish SPCA have appealed for information after the animal's remains were found last month having apparently been attacked by dogs.
Scotland’s animal welfare charity was alerted on Monday, April 25 when a member of the public came across the young female badger in a field next to the Ravenscraig Steelworks site.
WARNING - GRAPHIC IMAGE BELOW
A Scottish SPCA undercover inspector said, “The member of the public heard the sounds of male voices shouting, dogs barking and an animal squealing coming from a field next to Meadowhead Road.
"Due to the time of night and the nature of the disturbance, the gentleman was not in a position to investigate until the following day.
“He found the badger’s body with a deep laceration to its back end and a post mortem examination has revealed that the badger sustained injuries consistent with being attacked by more than one dog. The results also revealed that it was killed by a heavy blow to the head with a blunt instrument.
“The injuries the badger sustained were horrendous and it would have been caused a tremendous amount of suffering before it was finally killed.
“It is likely the dogs involved in the attack would also have extensive and shocking injuries, particularly to their heads and faces, and it is doubtful their owners would have sought veterinary attention through fear of detection.
“This is not the first occasion that voices have been heard late at night in this area and animals have been subject to abhorrent hunting activities.
“We are appealing to the public to contact us if they know of anyone who frequents this area with lurcher or terrier type dogs and any sort of equipment used for hunting animals.
“Anyone with information can call our animal helpline on 03000 999 999 anonymously and all calls are treated in strict confidence.”
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