Police refuse to investigate death at dafen pond

Yesterday Morning, Carmarthenshire Wildlife Watch member Trixie received a sad phone call from a friend who was at Dafen pond.  Laying there in the water was a dead swan, with what looks like a wound as if it has been shot!

Trixie & Jo went to visit the scene and put their Wildlife Rescue & Rehabilitation training into action and contacted the authorities.

A police officer who didn’t provide his name and did not have a badge number on display arrived and asked ‘Is it a wild bird?’ and also said that he couldn’t do anything about it as it’s a job for the RSPCA, not the police.

He then went on to admit that the police do not patrol the pond, but they visit the car park twice a shift as they are aware of there being some trouble there. He also admitted that they should patrol the pond as well as just the car park.

The RSPCA could not attend the scene due to being on a cruelty case in another area, so they contacted the council to remove the bird from the water.

Trixie Evans of Carmarthenshire Wildlife Watch took to Facebook to alert everyone to be aware of the activity that had gone on. She said:

“Absolutely devastated today!!! Have spent the morning with Jo at Dafen pond trying to get help to find out who has killed one of the cygnets! It looks as though it may have been shot. We have had the police out but they can’t do anything other than tell us to report it to the RSPCA. They can’t call out as they are out on an emergency elsewhere! They reported it to the council and they say they are going to remove it because of the distress it’s causing. How can someone be so cruel to do this???

“The pond only had 1 swan with the 4 cygnets which were coming along nicely and are getting ready to fly away and leave home. Please, please, if you see anything suspicious at the pond, then please report it. This is one of the many reasons we are looking for volunteers to do a pond watch! Sorry about the sad pic but everyone should be aware of what cruelty there is about. Please keep a look out to try and help stop any more deaths of these beautiful #swans and cygnets”

Responses through social media have come in the masses with everyone in the same opinion that this should have been investigated as children are taken there to visit the swans often. Many people have watched the swans grow up from being small signets.

It is believed that the Queen owns all swans in the UK, this is incorrect! But all swans are protected by law and killing one, which is considered killing a wild bird, attracts a sentence of six months and a fine of five thousand pounds. Buckingham palace has termed the assumption that the Queen owns all swans a myth.

Visit Carmarthenshire Wildlife Watch on Facebook HERE