A SHOCKING image of a poisoned bird of prey has been posted on social media to warn people to stay safe.
The North Wales Rural Crime team posted the image of a bird which had been illegally killed after eating a rabbit deliberately laced with poison.
Promoting Operation Owl, the officers are urging members of the public not to touch dead birds, if they should come across anything like this.
In a Tweet the NWP Rural Crime team said: "Bird of prey poisoning. This is a classic way birds of prey are killed. A dead rabbit is placed on the ground covered in poison.
"If you see this don't touch and report immediately on 101. We always investigate."
Operation Owl is a police initiative to increase public awareness of bird of prey persecution and to seek support in tackling it head on.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here