Swan 'was ripped to pieces by dog' in Leicestershire country park
Signs have gone up in a country park warning dog walkers to keep their pets under control after a wild swan was savaged and killed.
The dismembered remains of the bird, thought to be an adult mute swan, were discovered by a wildlife enthusiast at Sence Valley Forest Park, in the National Forest, at Ibstock, north west Leicestershire.
James Williams, of the Forestry Commission, which manages the site, said: "The animal was basically ripped to bits – there was very little left of it.
"There were signs of a violent struggle and feathers and entrails were scattered along the bank and over a bridge in the centre of the park. It's on the main trail but it seems nobody witnessed the attack."
The incident was reported on Tuesday by an elderly park user.
Mr Williams said: "He was very upset indeed. We have several families of wild swans at the lake and he's given many of them names. Our problem is we don't know what happened, only its bloody aftermath.
"The suspicion is that a large dog was responsible because of the ferocity of the attack."
The incident has been reported to the police and RSPCA
. The mute swan is a protected species and anyone caught harming them can be fined and prosecuted.
Dogs who are deemed a nuisance and danger to the public can also be put down.
Dog owner Sue Tompkins, 51, from Ibstock, walks her West Highland terrier in the park.
She said: "I saw all the feathers on the ground and have heard about other attacks. My westie is too frightened to go anywhere near the swans but you do see large alsatians and rottweilers running around with no sign of their owners anywhere."
Mr Williams said: "We don't want to spoil people's enjoyment of the park but dogs do need to be kept under control by their owners so they are not a danger to wildlife or humans."
Inspector Chris Brown, north west Leicestershire police commander, said: "People need to be able to enjoy the park and its wildlife, and I'd urge anyone who spots either pets or their owners threatening wildlife to get in touch."
An RSPCA spokesman said attacks on wildlife counted for a "huge proportion" of the calls made to it every year.
The police can be contacted on 0116 222 2222. To report cruelty to animals, call the RSPCA on 0300 1234 999.
5 Comments
by bullmastiff_lover, leicester
Tuesday, September 07 2010, 5:21PM
“ok then K H lets not have it put to sleep. lets leave it to live so the next poor defenceless creature ends up in the same mess. next time it could be my geese, my dogs or your children. would you still have the same attitude then?”
by Vik, Leicester
Sunday, September 05 2010, 12:46PM
“If this was a dog then this is a truly awful thing to happen but it has to be accepted that not all dog owners are responsible. The only way to tackle irresponsible owners is for microchipping and licensing to become law and for dog wardens to be brought into public parks etc to regularly check up on owners and to seize animals that are not chipped and licensed. However, please don't hold your breath that this sensible solution will ever be implemented.
Like so many other problems in this wonderful country of ours there is a simple and fair solution but it will never be implemented in case it breaches someone's human rights for us to force them to be responsible and to think about others.”
by andrew, nfp
Sunday, September 05 2010, 12:17PM
“no one actually knows what really happened . so sherlock holmes reckons/guesses /thinks it might / could be a dog . but in reality no one knows . stick to facts and not guesses , it helps . fox , lion , panther , yeti it COULD have been too . was it dead before it was eaten ? who knows ? guessing causes trouble because it is a GUESS . When someone has facts then report it was A BIG DOG , until then it WASNT A BIG DOG .”
by KH, Leicester
Sunday, September 05 2010, 11:19AM
“bullmastiff_lover - you're such an animal lover you are immediately condoning that the dog be put down. Brilliant.”
by bullmastiff_lover, leicester
Saturday, September 04 2010, 2:33PM
“this is appalling! the beast that done this should be put to sleep and theowners made responsible. its brutes like this that get me and my dogs a bad name! i take my dogs everyday down to our local duck pond along witha loaf of bread. my dogs are more than happy to sit and watch the ducks comming within feet of them. not once have my dogs ever shown any kind of aggression towards another animal..i wouldnt tolerate it! by the way i have 2 staffordshire bull terriers and a bullmastiff”