A severed head of a cat was left “deliberately” in a children’s playground in Hackney.
The grim discovery at the bottom of a children’s slide in Homerton Grove Adventure Playground was made by a member of staff as she opened up the playground on April 24.
Michael Harrington, an RSPCA animal rescue officer, called it “a truly horrifying story.”
“We were alerted to the discovery of a dismembered black and white cat head at a children’s playground on Monday last week,” he said, in comments reported by Sky News.
“The investigation is ongoing, but first impressions appear to indicate that this was a deliberate act.
“The head was very carefully placed at the bottom of a children’s play apparatus and left in a way that it would be easily found.
“We have been informed that this particular piece of apparatus is one of the most used and popular things in the playground.
“This must have been a shocking discovery for the member of staff who stumbled upon it, but we are profoundly grateful that it was not found by a small child who could have been deeply traumatised.”
The RSPCA said it had not been able to recover CCTV of the incident due to a lack of coverage.
It is believed it occurred between 6pm on April 23 and 3.30pm on April 24.
The charity is urging anyone with information to contact their appeals line on 0300 123 8018.
