Business owner speaks out after worker allegedly unleashes whipper snipper on native bird

The business owner has spoken out after the disturbing moment was captured on video and shared on social media.

A business owner has spoken out after a video of his employee using a whipper snipper to allegedly kill a native Australian bird went viral.

The video shows a maintenance worker mowing the lawn of a home in Beresford, in NSW’s Hunter Valley on November 14 before using a whipper snipper to kill the animal, allegedly a plover bird.

The video has been shared more than 700 times and shocked locals have flooded the comments section expressing their disgust.

The owner of the business whose employee killed the bird, took to the comments to say he has received “numerous threats of violence” to himself and his family since the post was made on March 31.

A lawnmower killed a native bird with a whipper snipper. Picture: Facebook

“You know for a fact this was not me in this clip, you also know we do not condone this act,” he said.

“We have assisted all through their investigations and still are if they need anything further from us.”

He warned anyone who harassed his family or staff would be be reported to police.

In the disturbing footage, the man can be seen sizing up the bird before charging across the driveway with a whipper snipper in hand.

He fires up the machine and points it at the small bird, sending a cloud of feathers into the air as the bird is spat out a couple of metres away.

The man walks over to the injured bird before stomping on it with his foot, appearing to kill it.

He then carries the bird’s body over to the bins parked in the driveway and dumps the remains.

He then discarded the body in a bin. Picture: Facebook

The horrified homeowner posted the video to social media and said he warned the gardener a plover was nesting in the yard and to asked him to avoid trimming that section.

“He messaged to say he was coming the next day and we told him that there was a plover nesting there and to not do that side,” the owner said.

He contacted the RSPCA to have them investigate the matter.

“So share the c**p out of it until it reaches the headlines,” he said.

A National Parks and Wildlife Service spokesperson said they are aware of the incident and have been working with the RSPCA on the investigation.

Plovers, and all native species, are protected under the National Parks and Wildlife Act, and harming them is an offence with a maximum penalty of $14,000.

To report any incidents of harm to native wildlife, please call the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water on 1300 361 967.

Originally published as Business owner speaks out after worker allegedly unleashes whipper snipper on native bird