Appalling photos appear to show a man and a woman kicking a fox to death.

The incident is thought to have taken place near Cockmannings Road, Orpington, on Monday.

The graphic images show two people - believed to be teenagers - stamping on the wounded animal in a field before throwing a boulder at it.

Members of the South London Animal Investigation Network (SLAIN) attended the area on Monday night to retrieve the fox's body, which is now awaiting post mortem at a veterinary clinic.

A male, aged 14-18, and a female, aged between 14 and 17, are being sought in connection with the horrific act.

Volunteer from the group, Boudicca Rising, said: "I have seen a lot of horrible incidents involving animals but this was one of the worst.

"Me and a fellow rescuer, who occasionally volunteers for us, went out and were horrified to discover that what the witness had seen was true.

"The fox's body was lying under a boulder which could be seen in the video footage as having being thrown by the male.

"We also recovered a large stick from the scene, which the witness had described being used in the first part of the incident.

"We are an organisation set up to continue investigating the UK Animal Killer series of attacks. We are not a vigilante group and don't encourage vigilanteism.

"As they are likely to be minors, please DO NOT post anything on our Facebook post that could lead to them being identified."

The male is white, with short dark hair and a longer fringe which partially covers his forehead and which he regularly flicks back.

He was wearing an Adidas tracksuit, which was dark blue or black with white stripes down the side and a dark blue or black coloured puffa-style jacket with a detachable hood.

The jacket is elasticated at the wrist and he had dark coloured trainers on.

The female is white, with dark hair in a pony tail and a middle to side parting.

She was wearing skinny black leggings or jeans, a black top and a dark coloured body warmer over her top

If you have any information regarding the incident, call 07957 830490 or send a message to its Facebook page.

Spokesperson for the Met, Joshua Coupe, said: "Police are aware of a video circulating on social media of a fox being harmed in the Orpington area.

"Officers are carrying out enquiries to establish the circumstances of the incident. There have been no arrests."

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