Hero Mother Swan Shot But Won’t Abandon Babies
A hero mother swan was shot on the Thames River in the United Kingdom by what was reportedly an airgun while she was covering a nest full of hatching eggs. Despite being bloodied, the brave mother wasn’t willing to abandon her emerging baby swans, called cygnets.
Witnesses called Swan Lifeline, and a team of five canoes that included the charity’s treatment coordinator Wendy Hermon hurried out to save the family. Hermon told the Windsor Express:
“The female swan was badly hurt and her chicks were about to hatch. We could hear one tapping inside the egg. One egg was already cracked from the inside.”
Apparently, the whole family had been targeted by the shooter. The father swan too was discovered shot with two wounds in his neck. However, he was feisty enough to give the rescue team from Swan Lifeline a two hour chase before they could bring him in to safety.
Both adult swans had bashes of some kind on the beak, which might mean that someone used a catapult to pelt them with rocks, in addition to shooting at them with the airgun.
Both adult swans are recovering at the Swan Lifeline treatment center. Four cute baby swans have now been successfully hatched out as well.
Wild mute swans in England have been protected under the Act for Swans which dates back to 1576. All wild, unmarked swans belong to the king or queen of England and are protected under that ancient law. They also share in the protection enjoyed by nesting birds under the 1981 Wildlife Act.
The local police are actively seeking out the people who hurt the swans. They have stepped up cycling patrols along the Thames River and are also asking for more information on social media.
PC Bowden: Report of youths firing catapults at wildlife on the Thames yesterday. Any info please call me on 101.
— TVP Windsor (@TVP_Windsor) May 30, 2013
A photo from an earlier swan rescue demonstrates the challenges faced by the Swan Lifeline.
Great team effort on rescue at Oxford yesterday. Thanks guys. twitter.com/SwanLifeline/s…
— Swan Lifeline (@SwanLifeline) May 13, 2013
Cruelty to swans or their eggs can carry a 5,000 £ fine or six months in jail, so abusing the royal birds is not viewed as a harmless prank. Are you surprised that a hero mother swan could be so brave after being shot?
[swan with cygnets photo by Duzy Bartek via Wikimedia Commons]
