A decapitated swan has been found in the canal near Fountainbridge, but locals say they appear to be the only ones concerned about either the bird or the alleged crime.
According to several sources the bird – which is a protected species under the Wildlife and Countryside legislation – was first of all injured on Saturday when involved in a collision with the driver of a vehicle somewhere around Fountainbridge near the canal.
A fisherman who found the injured bird reported the injuries to SEPA on Saturday afternoon who said they would do something, but don’t appear to have taken any action.
The council was called and confirmed they would only come to collect the body on Monday morning. The locals were told not to touch the bird because of Avian flu. The council did not eventually attend as Scottish Canals came on Monday to remove the dead bird – which has no identifying tags on it.
After it was discovered to be injured, the swan was later found covered over by a blanket. When one of the fishermen removed the blanket they made the gruesome find that its neck had been cut off right next to its body.
The dead (and injured) swan’s mate had been distressed although he seems to have disappeared. Swans mate for life often when young and remain monogamous for their whole lives, also living in the same area.
The Scottish Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SSPCA) offers this guidance: “It is illegal to cause deliberate or reckless harm to swans, their eggs and their nests. If anyone commits offenses like destroying a nest or shooting swans with an airgun, this crime should be reported to Police Scotland on 101. But it appears that the police did not want to know.
LOCALS
Fiona McIntyre who lives on a houseboat said: “My concern is that this is a criminal offence and nobody seems to want to do anything about it. I have never seen anything like this in all the 20 years I have lived here. It was injured but intact, and someone has since decapitated it – possibly without even taking it out of the water.”
Dharma Reyes Macaya who also lives on a boat at Fountainbridge said: “I saw the two swans during the week and then on Friday I spent a bit of time with them. They were both super friendly to people.
“On Sunday I was trying to feed the male swan some hours before we made the horrible discovery. I thought the swan was hungry and wanted food, He was staring in the window of my boat – they do that when they are hungry. But when I put the swan food out he didn’t seem to like it. Some hours later my neighbour found him distressed crying near to the female swan’s body. He spent the night next to our boat. It is the first time that abuse like this has happened next to our homes.
“We clean the canal everyday due to people who trash plastic bottles and other things in the canal. We as boaters take great care of all our wildlife neighbours including the swans, ducks, kingfisher and cormorant.”
A local who also lives on the canal said: “I contacted police on 101 and they phoned back two hours later saying it’s nothing to do with them.
“Another neighbour contacted the SSPCA who said to contact council for removal of the dead bird. She did this and the council are collecting on Monday morning.
“My neighbour and the boating community are shocked that although this is a crime no one really seems that bothered.”
When we contacted Police Scotland we were advised that “the caller was advised to contact the SSPCA. If they deem there to be any criminality, they will refer the matter to Police Scotland”.
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