To want to shame the people responsible for the death of a well-known swan

[LoveMyPiano]

A local canal just over a couple of hills from where I live, has resident swans who everyone knows.

The canal itself is a countryside and picturesque stretch that becomes non-navigable due to a cloed tunnel, and is not even navigable where it should be due to restrictions at the minute from the Canal and River Trust.

There are two swans ( couple, most of the time....) who live on this part - close to a small hamlet with cottages facing the canal there - are loved by everyone and friendly. Despite that is, the male and his previous partner having been shot a couple of years ago. She died and he was injured and hospitalised for a while.
When he came back, a new female came with him, and they actually had some offsping, which was lovely to see.

This weekend, "someone" called out the RSPCA to him. He has a wonky neck, which worsens when he is tired, but it is an old injury and he is prefectly fine.
The RSPCA and a local vet "diagnosed" bird flu, and he has been destroyed!!!

There was a big struhgle to get him out, and he will have been very frightened. Only to be killed after all that! I cannot get that out of my mind.

They have a ring which if checked, will detail their history - and the "local" (it is quite big) Swan Rescue has full knowledge of him and his issues - and can handle swans nicely and carefully, as it their area of expertise.

I have never posted (in part) hoping that the press would get wind of the content. But I hope that one of their staff who are employed to seek out items to broadcast, might see this and follow up.

The swans were actually on Countryfile not long ago - and people would I am sure, be so sad and horrified to hear what has happened.

That so lovely!
As I understand it, the father swan will chase the children away, so they have to literally leave the nest - or else! Maybe - hopefully - the parents are still around 💕

This has also been an issue with sick birds of prey. The default position seems to be that they have bird flu and need destroyed. In a local case a bird sanctuary took one in and it had a wing injury which it recovered from, when reported to the authorities people had been to not to go near it as it likely had bird flu.
It's traumatising to see the possibly unnecessary death of a beautiful bird and I really sympathise.

OP, I really do sympathise as I can completely understand the fondness that can be built up with local animals and I can see how upsetting it must be now he's been put down. I'm sorry you're hurting, swans are beautiful animals.

With the bird flu outbreak, vets are unfortunately unable to take risks. I would imagine they did the appropriate assessments and may have diagnosed something the locals didn't realise the swan had. If he did have bird flu, he could have spread it to other local birds. Sometimes it's a necessary evil to protect other birds.

I don't think the vet would have put down a healthy swan though, there must have been a reason but regardless I really do understand how upsetting this must be and I'm sorry you've lost your local swan.

Can you contact the RSPCA to ask if they checked Re the ring / history and the vet they worked with? If they said yes surely you can then ring to ask if the vet or RSPCA did indeed refer to them? If not then you might have stronger ground to complain?

To be fair, most of our vets admit they don’t know much about hens, and rabbits and usually suggest a specialist (our practice is both farm and domestic, they treat our dogs cats and horses happily).

It does sounds a shame, but I feel more upset about the shooting. That was awful. You need to try and focus on his life being mostly good and his death would have been humane, even if the catching was perhaps stressful.

The shooting was so terrible. especially as they had eggs, which had been a struggle for this particular male. And lovely that he subsequently recoved and got a new lady.

Local people were so upset when that happened. And now are again...... Let's face it, the call was made because he "looked odd" by someone who had never seen him before. He did not look odd - for him.
I am usually a busybody too - but being an ignorant busybody is terrible!
It is surprising that the RSPCA even came.

Many years ago, I took my horse to the vet for his flu vac.
They were so unused to dealing with horses (had told them) - eve though their practice is an old stable yard -that they summoned us to "Room 2" over the speaker. I had to remind them we had come in a horsebox. They didn't really do much with larger animals.

Another local vet (wouldn;t be surprised if it was the ones who attended the swan) - killed a sheep that we had had to bring to them in an emergency lambing situation. Not equipped to handle it.

If the vet called to the swan didn't know what they were doing with a swan or other wildlife, then they should have admitted it and referred on, not committed what could also be - if proven that the swan did not have bird flu - an actual crime.

That is clearly not true. Swans are special and I thought you needed the King's approval to kill them.
A vet who doesn't know the animals history is very likely to get things wrong.
When the only tool you have is a hammer every problem looks like a nail!