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'Asylum seekers eat swans'
By Tim Rider, Evening Standard Last updated at 00:00am on 04.07.03
Under threat: swans are protected by a royal charter
A major investigation has been launched by Scotland Yard into claims that the
Queen's swans are being stolen in their hundreds by gangs of asylum-seekers who are cooking and eating them.
The birds, which belong to the Crown
under an ancient charter and are also
protected by the Wildlife and Countryside Act,
are a common sight on the capital's ponds
and rivers — but their numbers have plummeted recently.
An official Metropolitan Police report said
east European poachers
were luring the royal
birds into baited traps
then eating them.
The probe comes after a
group of men were
caught red-handed by
police in an east London
park.
The asylum seekers
were barbecuing a duck
and officers found two
dead swans, ready to be
roasted, concealed in
bags.
Steve Knight, of the
Surrey-based Swan
Sanctuary, said: "Stealing
swans is becoming a
serious problem.
"It is happening mainly
around London, but we
have also had reports
from Wiltshire,
Hertfordshire and Essex.
"Sadly, it seems that
some people coming into
this country have been
ignoring our custom of
leaving these beautiful birds
alone," he told The Sun.
It has been illegal to injure or
kill swans in Britain for
hundreds of years — the offence
carries a £5,000 fine or six
months in jail. But to eastern
Europeans they are a perfectly
acceptable delicacy.
A police spokesman said
today: "We are appealing for
information over the
disappearance of swans. There have been incidents of swans being killed,
and it appears to be the work of
eastern European gangs."
In Enfield, police and a
wildlife liaison officer are
patrolling the River Lee after
swans there disappeared.
A police statement said: "The
local community say the swan
population has decreased
considerably."
Each July the swans are
rounded up and counted during
the "swan upping" ceremony on
the Thames.
A spokesman for the Royal
Society for the Protection of
Birds said: "There has been a
drop in the number of swans in
the River Thames, and there is
a suggestion they are being
stolen.
It seems there may be a
connection with people from
eastern Europe." Britain has 30,000
of the birds, the most common
species being the mute swan.
They typically weigh about 20Ib
and are white with black legs,
although there are seven
different varieties and some are
completely black.
They can live to the age of 35,
but rarely survive beyond 10.
Roasted swan was a favourite
dish of King Henry VIII. The
birds were kept specially for
eating then served at banquets
decorated with a gold crown.
