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Police probe vanishing swans mystery
By Ed Harris, Evening Standard Last updated at 00:00am on 11.10.02The baffling disappearance of large numbers of swans from reservoirs and a river is being investigated by police.
It is feared the birds may be being killed by Eastern European refugees for food. In recent months, the swan population on two reservoirs in north London has fallen from 130 to single figures, and there has been a similar decline on a nearby stretch of river.
Officers on the lookout for "swan-snatchers" have started footpath patrols along a two-mile stretch of the River Lea in Enfield. Posters have been put up urging people to come forward with information.
The reservoirs are close to the river and separate Enfield from Chingford. Both the borough of Waltham Forest, which includes Chingford, and the borough of Enfield house large numbers of refugees and asylum seekers, including people from Kosovo, Afghanistan, Poland, Turkey and Bangladesh. The police sources speak of an "epidemic" of swan disappearances which is spreading across London. "We have received reports that Eastern European males have been slaughtering and removing swans for food," one said.
"It is an allegation that is being taken very seriously, because like any wild bird, swans are protected by law."
Under the Countryside Act and Rights of Way Act 2000, people who kill swans face a maximum £5,000 fine and/or six months in prison.
The RSPCA's local inspector, Simon Osbourne, said there was no firm evidence to show why the swan population had plummeted, but confirmed that sinister activities had been observed. "Some people have witnessed birds being speared and their bodies being carried away from the scene," he said.
"But in order to build evidence we want to hear from anyone who has seen such an incident."
The RSPCA's honorary secretary in Enfield, Margaret Marsden, said: "It is so sad because they are such beautiful creatures that are part of our heritage."
Though rarely eaten for food in Britain now, the mute swan was once considered a delicacy and would be served at banquets by wealthy families. All wild swans are officially owned jointly by the Queen and two private swan companies, the Vintners and Dyers, who were granted ownership in the 15th century.
