Decapitated pig heads, including one impaled on a wooden stick, were found on Halloween in a Northern Ireland public park.
A dog-walker discovered the animal heads in the Shore Road area of Kilbroney Park in Rostrevor, County Down, Saturday morning.
A photo shared on a local Facebook group at 7.55am shows the heads on either side of a sign reading, ‘Here, piggy, piggy,’ in red spray paint.
Some locals and council officials have suggested it was a Halloween-themed prank.
The social media user who shared the image said: ‘This is a public space used daily by families, young children and people walking their dogs.
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‘Whatever the intention behind it, leaving animal remains on display like this is completely unacceptable.’
The local council said on Facebook it is ‘aware’ of the incident and is working with the force.
Mark Gibbons, an independent councillor for Crotlieve, described the staked pig heads as ‘vile, sickening and utterly disgraceful’.
‘Halloween is no excuse for such a revolting act,’ he said.
‘This is a public space used by families and children. Whoever is responsible should be ashamed. I won’t be sharing the disturbing image.
‘Such a disgusting and disturbing thing to do. Imagine a child seeing this?’
Gibbons told the BBC that he doubts children were behind the Halloween prank, as the stake driven into the ground was ‘huge’.
He added that his Facebook post about the incident was swamped with ‘race-hate-filled comments’, which he had to delete and ban the users.
The heads have since been removed and an investigation has been launched, the police told The Irish Post.
The Police Service of Northern Ireland has been approached for comment.
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