BIRD-CHASING INCIDENT ON CLEETHORPES BEACH GOES VIRAL ON SOCIAL MEDIA

Celebrity or villain - or both? The muddy-pawed canine as featured on social media

THIS dog is proving a 'star' of social media - but for the wrong reasons.

Earlier this week, a photographer posted a video of the hound on the central beach in Cleethorpes - causing distress and panic to hundreds of birds. 

The clip on Twitter has been watched more than 50,000 times within a matter of days. 

The birds being chased weren't just any birds - they were knot, a fast-declining species that breeds in Greenland, Iceland and other regions of the Arctic.

The birds, which are not much bigger than starlings,  migrate south to the coastlines of Europe and Africa to escape the iciest of the weather and to take advantage of the longer daylight hours for feeding.

Cleethorpes beach is part of the Humber Estuary Site of Special Scientific Interest, and the birds - along with other wading species - enjoy the full protection of the law.

Although they are seldom caught by their canine pursuers, repeatedly fleeing in panic from favoured feeding grounds - such as the area of beach opposite Willy's wine bar - seriously depletes their energy reserves and they quickly weaken.

The chase is on - Davy (far right) gets up to speed and the birds flee

However,  wildlife legislation is hard to enforce, and some dog-owners are unaware of their responsibilities to the welfare of birds. Disturbance occurs on coastlines all around Britain

Locally, organisations such as Natural England, the RSPB, the Humber Nature Parnership - and also the police - are concerned at the frequency of such incidents, but they are dependent on North East Lincolnshire Council to crack down on what is happening.

NELC is keen to safeguard the birds and keen to encourage eco-tourism, but it has limited resources for beach-monitoring duties and is reluctant to be heavy-handed in its dealings with dog-owners.

The Grimsby News says: No doubt about it, he is a cute little pet. Trouble is he's also a bird-chaser. His mistress  is a probably a very nice lady who means no harm to birds. However, as a dog-owner, she should be aware of her responsibilities which include respecting the welfare of wildlife. Next time he is taken walkies on the beach, perhaps the pooch should remain securely attached to a lead.