Decapitated Rabbits and Speared Fish Discovered in Public Park

A number of mutilated animals have been discovered in a U.K. park, leading the police to appeal to the public for information.

In Donisthorpe Woodland Park, decapitated rabbits have been found floating in a river over recent weeks, while fish were found pinned to stakes, with one left on a wooden staircase. All these animals were left in full public view at the popular beauty spot in Leicestershire, central England.

Local police don't know who is responsible for these acts. In a "witness appeal" posted on North West Leicestershire Police Facebook page late last week, the police said: "It has been reported that over a period of weeks, several decapitated rabbits have been located floating in the water at Donisthorpe Woodland Park and further to this, deceased fish on spears have also been found in open public view. Have you seen or heard anything?".

It was not clear what, if any, laws had been broken but British law protects wild mammals from deliberate acts of cruelty.

"Vile humans," said one commenter under a social media post sharing the story.

A spokesperson for Leicestershire Police told Newsweek: "The officer who issued the post said a member of the public reported the incident, but didn't do so immediately. They couldn't say over what timeframe it'd been happening other than within recent weeks. They also couldn't say how many animals had been killed. There has been reports of fish being poached in the area previously."

Animals being mutilated and left in public places is unfortunately a fairly frequent occurrence. Only last month, 23 bags containing decapitated farm animals were discovered near an apartment complex in Georgia by someone walking their dog nearby. In 2019, five bulls were discovered dead and completely drained of blood with their organs precisely removed on a ranch in Oregon.

In 2015, Sacramento, California was plagued with instances of dead animals being left at sites across the city, ranging from decapitated chickens, decapitated goats, rabbits, lambs, and even tortoises. Some suggested that it may have been a coyote that was responsible for the killings, however, many of the animals were found inside boxes or bags, indicating they had been put there on purpose.

"The behavior that is being displayed now is concerning because it's often behavior you see displayed in serial killers, serial rapists," clinical psychologist Andrew Mendonsa told CBS Sacramento in reference to the 2015 events. "It's about power and control, it's about having ultimate control over a victim."

It is thought that many serial killers intentionally harmed and killed animals during their adolescent years, including serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer, British child murderer Mary Bell, the Columbine shooters, and several others. Research published in the Journal of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law in 2002 showed that in a study of criminal defendants, those who had a history of animal cruelty during childhood were significantly associated with having antisocial personality disorder, antisocial personality traits, and substance abuse.