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.