Stratford Swan Rescue demand action from Wychavon Council

Cyril Bennis, a volunteer at Stratford Swan Rescue, came to Evesham on Sunday afternoon to retrieve the animal from the River Avon.

He said the hole was a gunshot wound but is more concerned that the swan had not been removed sooner.

He said: “The tragedy is that this unfortunate swan had been in the river for several days and no had done anything about it, no one cared.

“What angers and frustrates me is that we have a fantastic community in Evesham who love and care for their wildlife, but the authorities don’t.

“We are trying to avoid Avian Flu and so the priority should be to get these animals out of the river as quick as possible.”

READ MORE: Swan found with a mysterious hole in its body in Evesham

Local residents assisted Stratford Swan Rescue volunteer Cyril Bennis in recovering the dead bird

The swan, near Evesham Rowing Club, was first reported on Thursday morning (April 1).

Three days later Mr Bennis and local resident, Heidi Phillips, were able to recover the swan and one other.

However, Mr Bennis has received reports of at least four others in Evesham last week.

He added: “By the time I had got there it was a disgusting site.

“Someone needs to take responsibility and do something, hopefully this animal getting shot acts as a catalyst.”

Ms Phillips echoed his call for action.

She said: “It’s unfortunate it takes a kind soul to remove these rather than someone from Wychavon District Council.”

The volunteer recovered two dead birds from the river

Sharon Casswell, head of client services at the council, explained it is not responsible for birds found on private land, rivers, and other waterways.

She said: “We have an established procedure for dealing with dead wild birds, but we are only responsible for birds on public land.

“As the country is still dealing with a bird flu outbreak, we would advise people to report these to Defra. We also remind people that they should not touch or pick up any dead or visibly sick birds they find.”

She added: “We have had one specific report of a dead swan at Evesham which was dealt with and disposed of correctly.

“We did receive other reports about dead wild birds on public land, but the caller was unable to provide specific details of where the birds were and we are waiting for more information.

“Unfortunately, we do not have the resource to go searching for dead birds but if a specific location can be given to us then we will deal with it.”