Charity's anger after nesting swan found shot with 14-inch crossbow bolt

A WILDLIFE charity has condemned the crossbow shooting of a swan as “an act of appalling and deliberate animal cruelty”.

The badly injured bird was rescued on Sunday morning from the Silverwood Colliery Nature Reserve off Holling’s Lane at Ravensfield by volunteers from the wildlife charity Yorkshire Swan Rescue. 

It is now recovering at the charity’s base in North Yorkshire, after vets succesfully removed the 14-inch bolt.

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The alarm was raised by a member of the public, after the adult female swan was seen for a number of days showing little interest in feeding and subsequently abandoning a nest full of eggs. 

Wildlife crime officers from South Yorkshire Police are now investigating, after the bird was found to have been deliberately shot.

Dan Sidley, founder of the wildlife charity Yorkshire Swan Rescue, said: “We were first contacted over the weekend to assist a swan in difficulty on the lagoon at the old Silverwood Colliery site.

“To our absolute horror, we found the bird suffering in considerable distress with a crossbow bolt harpooned through her body. 

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“This is an act of appalling and deliberate animal cruelty. 

“It is difficult for us to comprehend why anybody would deliberately harm such a beautiful bird. It’s sickening.”

Mr Sidley added he believed the bird had been used as a “sitting target" owing to the current nesting season.

It is hoped the swan will fully recover and be released back to the wild but its injuries most likely mean this year’s nesting attempt will fail. 

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Mute swans enjoy full protection under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, and it is a criminal offence to intentionally injure, kill or take a wild swan. 

Any nests and eggs of mute swans are also fully protected. 

The law does not require a license or any registration in order to own and use a crossbow in the UK. 

Police have appealed to anyone who witnessed the attack or saw any suspicious activity between Wednesday, April 25, and Friday, April 27, are to get in touch on South Yorkshire Police or the non-emergency 101 telephone number, quoting incident number 455/290418. 

Anyone who finds an injured or distressed swan can contact Yorkshire Swan Rescue’s 24 hour service or call the3 charity on 07763 424892.

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