Caerphilly: Man dragging swan by neck sought by police

A man was captured on video dragging a swan through a park by the neck until bystanders called on him to release the bird.

Brandon Ryzy, 21, filmed what he called a "sickening" attack near Caerphilly Castle and posted the video on social media.

"I'm just glad I was there to stop him," he said of the incident reported at 16:20 GMT on Sunday

Gwent Police said officers searched the area and were trying to trace the man.

Warning: This story contains images of animal cruelty

"I was just walking home from doing some shopping," said student Brandon, "when I spotted him in the corner of my eye.

"I'm guessing he was under the influence."

When confronted, he said the man claimed the swan had attacked his children.

"But there were no children around."

"I did chase after him and made sure he put the swan down," he said. "I had to be very aggressive to get him to stop.

The bird was flapping and was then "dropped down on the floor" he said .

"I watched the man walk off and stayed with the bird to see if it could get itself back to the moat."

He said the feathers on the bird's neck were ruffled where it has been gripped and it "seemed to be in shock".

"It seemed quite fragile and was moving slowly."

He said other bystanders in a nearby pub also saw the incident and one reported it to the police.

Caerphilly Bird Rescue posted a comment about the video, saying it "sickens me to the stomach".

Police said the caller who reported the incident told officers the swan ran "back into the water".

Detectives are asking for help in tracing the man.