PUGWASH, N.S. -- A Nova Scotia family is expressing their frustration after an incident involving the death of their pet crow.

Jill Mundle and her daughter Mya walk along the beach by their summer home every morning, but the past two days have been different as their family pet Konjo hasn't been with them.

The crow formed an unlikely bond with the family this summer.

Mundle says the crow was captured and killed by a Department of Lands and Forestry technician on Tuesday after complaints from people walking the beach that Konjo was getting too close.

"I asked him, I said, 'Do you have a permit to take the crow?', and he said, 'I'm with the Department of Lands and Forestry, I don't need a permit,' and I said, 'Well, can you tell me what you're going to do with the crow?' and he said, 'I'm Department of Lands and Forest, I can do whatever I want with it.'"

Mundle knows it's against wildlife regulations to have a crow as a pet, but is furious with how the situation was handled.

In a phone conversation that followed with the department, Mundle says a spokesperson told her the crow was shot and killed onsite because it was deemed as a possible threat -- leaving her with more questions than answers.

The family had even been in talks with Hope For Wildlife as they had a plan to ease Konjo back into the wild.

"I'm not sure what happened or why it had to end the way it ended," said Hope Swinimer, who founded and operates Hope For Wildlife, a wildlife rehabilitation facility in Seaforth, N.S.

"I know Lands and Forestry know I'm here and this is the kind of work that I do -- and we've had great success, so it's very disappointing that the outcome had to be the death of the crow. I'm not sure really if there had been a conversation, we could have come up with a better solution."

The Department of Lands of Forestry says they received reports of the crow attacking people on the beach. One person was knocked down and another suffered injuries to their face.

Department officials say the wildlife technician euthanized the bird in a secluded location, adding that doing this quickly and safely helps limit any unnecessary anxiety and stress on the crow.

The Mundle family knows speaking out won't bring Konjo back, but for nine-year-old Mya, losing Konjo was like losing a friend.

"When I wake up at night sometimes, I still kind of wish ... I think it was just a dream, but then you realize it's not ... it's very sad," said Mya Mundle.

It's a sad end to the Mundles' summer along the Northumberland Strait.

Lands and Forestry officials say, while it's illegal to keep wildlife as pets in the province, it is also dangerous to people and can cause significant issues for the animals as well.