Animal rights campaigners say they will sue a sporting champion for animal cruelty after he was filmed biting the head off a live cockerel during a dinner with friends, reports The Guardian.
The Brigitte Bardot foundation said the actions of the Basque pelota player Bixente Larralde were “shocking and sickening”.
In the brief video apparently made in June, a smiling Larralde is seen sitting at a table with several wine bottles and a cockerel. Larralde grabs the bird and, as it struggles, bites off its head, which he then spits out.
Daniel Raposo from the BB foundation said the organisation’s lawyers had been instructed to sue. “We must absolutely highlight this because it is serious and punishable by the law,” he said.
“It’s always shocking and sickening in 2019 to see people killing animals for amusement. This man might be an example to young people – therefore we cannot let this act rest unpunished,” he added.