(WARNING: Some viewers may find this footage upsetting)

AN animal lover confronted a workman who she claims beat a rabbit to death with a spade to make way for a new tram extension.

Kim Wright, 45, of Astley, challenged a workman on Ashburton Road West /Westinghouse Rd roundabout – dubbed on ‘rabbit island’ – in Trafford Park.

Rabbits are being culled in Trafford Park to make way for extensions to the Metrolink tram line.

On Friday, Kim, herself the owner of two rabbits, challenged a contractor after seeing him ‘hitting a rabbit with a spade’ and throwing its lifeless body on the ground.

In the clip, captured on Friday, Kim is heard saying: “What are you doing beating them with a spade?”

She then films a rabbit twitching on the ground, and says: “That's not dead.”

The contractor replies: “Of course it is you stupid woman.”

Kim can be seen picking up the injured and twitching rabbit before the worker snatches it off her and throws it to the ground.

Kim, who shared the video on Facebook, posted: “I get that Metrolink are extending their tramline through Trafford Park, I get that trees will be cut down and wildlife will be interrupted in the process. I don’t get the barbaric way these poor animals are treated and I certainly don't expect to see a rabbit hit with a spade whilst driving around a roundabout at work.”

Kim said she was first alerted to the culling when she saw workmen holding up what she thought were puppies when she was driving in Trafford Park. They turned out to be ferrets, used to flush out the rabbits.

She pulled up on the roundabout after seeing a man hit what appeared to be a rabbit with a spade. After filming the confrontation, Kim said the man threw the rabbit into the back of his car, which was full of dead rabbits.

Shaken by the incident, Kim called a friend and the RSPCA were contacted. When they returned to the roundabout later that day, Kim said the men had already packed up. She said they ‘goaded’ her and her friend by driving round and round the roundabout, beeping their horns and jeering, with the dead rabbits in the back.

“I was angry, this isn’t right,” said Kim. “I understand that sometimes that they have to humanely euthanise, I get that but I don’t approve of it. But for me, the way this was done was wrong and cruel and somebody needs to be answerable to it.”

After Kim’s video went viral, a ‘Help Save the Rabbits’ demonstration was held at the roundabout on Saturday morning.

A spokesperson for Transport for Greater Manchester said: “We have worked extremely closely with our contractor, MPact-Thales (MPT), to explore the best way to deal with the rabbits on Parkway. We thoroughly investigated a number of options including relocating the rabbits.

“Based on a number of considerations, including advice from DEFRA that the process of relocating rabbits causes them significant stress to the extent that they often don’t survive, a decision was taken to euthanise them.

“The RSPCA attended on site and was advised of the legal methods being used to despatch the rabbits.

“This is not a decision that has been taken lightly and is one, we accept, that has upset some people.

“Ultimately the decision was made based on sound advice and in accordance with relevant legislation.

"We understand the upset caused by this video and will ask our contractor to investigate further what happened on this occasion.

"Work to remove the rabbits from this area has now been completed."

A spokesperson for the RSCPA said: “This is very upsetting viewing and it is horrible to see rabbits killed this way. We sent an inspector out and we were told that professional pest control experts were dispatching rabbits within the law, with environmental officers present.

“Sadly, when rabbits are killed they often twitch for a while although dead and we believe this is what was happening to this poor rabbit, but we will be looking into this further.

“It is of concern that this killing of rabbits was being done in full view of public, causing distress to witnesses.”