Anyone found
killing a swan can faces a maximum £5,000 fine or imprisonment
Investigations
are under way in Lincoln after several gruesome discoveries of swan body parts
along a canal.
RSPCA officers
and Lincolnshire Police said they had seen a rise in reports in the last year
of swans being killed, possibly for food.
Since December,
five birds have been found dead on the banks of the Foss Dyke canal.
Heads and feet
have been found with the body missing and there was a report of a swan in a bin
bag on Fouth Common.
Officers have
been unable to find the people responsible.
PC Nick Willey,
wildlife crime officer for Lincolnshire Police, said: "Since December we
have had various reports of parts of swans being found on the river bank and on
the cycleway, and it is quite clear that something is not quite right."
'Extremely
unpleasant'
Swans are
protected birds and the Crown retains the right to ownership of all unmarked
mute swans in open water.
They are seen
as a delicacy in some parts of the world but it is illegal to kill swans in
this country and anyone found to be doing so faces a fine of up to £5,000 or a
six-month jail sentence.
Charlotte
Childs, branch manager at RSPCA Lincoln, said officers had been unable to
gather enough evidence to bring about prosecutions.
She said:
"It is extremely unpleasant finding the birds and it is impossible to know
how many have been killed so so far, but it is a real big concern for us.
"The
longer these incidents continue these people will keep getting away with it and
the more damage they are causing to swans in the area."
The RSPCA and
police have urged residents who notice suspicious activity along the canal to
report it immediately.
No comments:
Post a Comment