7 June 2017 

Death of 2 Cygnets

We have received the following sad news from one of our members this morning:

I've just returned from an early morning dog walk across the meadows and am sad to report that 2 of the remaining 6 Cygnets have been killed. We passed them not 10 minutes earlier when all 6 were paddling in the stream at the mouth of the lake accompanied by mum and dad. 

As I was almost home I heard a female voice frantically shouting from the vicinity of the stream. By the time I got back there the young woman had managed to get her 2 Springer Spaniels on a lead with the help of a passing young man who was also walking his own dogs. The woman was tearful and said that her dogs had chased the Swans and killed 2 of the youngsters. The young man had managed to grab the Spaniels before they could do any more damage. The 2 dead Cygnets were floating away.

The Spaniel owner was clearly upset and distressed but by that point there was nothing that could be done. The Swans and remaining 4 Cygnets were heading away from the chaos.

I guess this is a warning for all dog owners and walkers, we may not like to think of our pets as killers but sometimes they can be exactly that, and above all they need to be controlled, or on a lead.