Goose and swan hit in suspected catapult attack

A goose has been killed and a swan badly injured in a suspected catapult attack.

Danni Rogers, a volunteer at Shepperton Swan Sanctuary, was called to the scene at Fleet Pond Nature Reserve, in Hampshire, at about 08:00 BST.

He said the swan had a large ball bearing embedded in its cheek, which was "really, really heavy, so it's very lucky to be alive".

The swan will require surgery to close the lesion, but the ball bearing has been removed and the wound treated.

Mr Rogers said he discovered the male swan about 50ft (15m) from the bank of the lake, "looking worse for wear, its head down, with significant wounds to the right hand side of its face, then I noticed a big ball bearing in its cheek".

He described the projectile as a "huge" and "unusually-sized ball bearing".

The rescuer said the dead goose was found nearby with a similar injury.

He added: "We believe the swan is going to be OK. Hopefully we'll get it released back to its mate."

Hampshire Constabulary confirmed a member of the public "located a dead Canada Goose and an injured swan at Fleet Pond".

It said: "It was reported that the swan had been struck with a projectile. The Swan Sanctuary were notified and collected the injured bird."

It appealed for anyone with any information about the attack to come forward.

It added: "We also urge anyone with information about crimes against wildlife, including individuals acting suspiciously around wild birds or active nests, or anyone carrying or using catapults in their local area to please report this to police."

Mr Rogers, from Camberley in Surrey, started a campaign to ban the sale and carrying in public of catapults after dozens of attacks, many fatal, on wildfowl.

His parliamentary petition has collected more than 20,000 signatures.

The Government said it would keep the issue under review, "balancing the concern over the need to protect wildlife from the minority who misuse catapults, with respect for their legitimate use by anglers".

Fleet Pond is the largest freshwater lake in Hampshire, with 141 acres of varied habitats.

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