General Discussion
Cygnets
I have just been told we only have one of our cygnets left. Apparently two have been found dead in the brook. Has anyone any more information?
more likely to have been taken by seagulls, they would float to the sea in the brook quite quickly. Urban dog hate myth alert
Why could it not have been a fox?, did CCTV see anything, of course not they cannot see at night, not infra red
Too big for seagulls, and I saw THEM chasing gulls the other week. So dogs are a good possibility especially with all the scum around with their so called 'Trophy' dogs, who dont give a to$$ about what happens.
Having been away for the weekend, I'm extremely saddened to read this news. We've been closely following the progress of the three cygnets from birth, taking many photo's of them, so much so that they feel like a part of the family. I now hope that the remaining one prospers and survives to adulthood. I also hope that the other nesting swan produces a large healthy family (I'm assuming that it's still nesting as I've not been down to the lawn for a week). I also find it pretty disgusting that the resident loony tries to score cheap political points from this sad news.
"resident loony tries to score cheap political points" DW I guess you are alluding to me. The trouble is you cant handle the truth, and when that happenes you resort to insults, just shows what limited brain power you have.
You think it's funny to take advantage of the deaths of our cygnets to make an utterly irrelevant political point. Your friend, the Argentinian immigrant Keith Sharp, thinks it's funny to take the piss out of people with dementia. Seriously, you two have major psychological issues if you get your kicks in such gutter-like ways. Oh, and there's nothing wrong with my brain power thank you very much - all of my braincells and faculties are in fully working order. Unlike those of some people I could mention.
Why do you say that PJD? I'm disgusted by the comments on here by User 4549 and equally disgusted by the comments by Keith Sharp re. dementia.
"You think it's funny to take advantage of the deaths of our cygnets"DW My point was that if the council had bought with our money the correct equipment then there would have been the possibility of seeing what exactly happened to the Cygnets, if you cannot accept that people are entitled to have a point of view contrary to yours, then there is something wrong.
exactly user, that is the way i feel about you dw nobody must have a different opinion than you, thats why i said what i did.
But this wasn't the thread to make cheap political points. A lot of people are quite rightly very upset about what's happened with the cygnets (although it's noticeable that neither of you two have bothered to write anything along those lines), and in my opinion it was highly inappropriate of you to hijack the thread. This is my last word on this subject, as we're clearly going round in circles.
Of course its sad when a living being loses its life, but put it in perspective they are wild beings living in a wild habitat, anything could have happened to them, there are more preditors now living in our urban jungles.
"But this wasn't the thread to make cheap political points"DW I certainly was not making a political point, I was stating a fact, which obviously you cant handle. You also mention Keith Sharp what has that got to do with the thread?
It is very sad about the cygnets, It isnt the first time that dogs have killed the water foul, dogs are supposed to be on a lead in the lawn, but many irresponsible people choose to ignore this. Iam a dog owner so I am not on a hate dogs campain, but some owners have a lot to answer for. Its got nothing to do with trophy dogs as any dog which is not under control off the lead is capable of killing the wild foul. Can the warden not put the cygnets in the compound while they are still small and weak? I suppose it would be a dangerous job getting mum and cygnets in there !!
From today's Herald Express: An investigation has been launched after two cygnets from Dawlish's famous black swan brood were killed in a suspected dog attack. The two seven-week-old cygnets were found floating dead in Dawlish Brook. Dawlish Town Council is now planning to offer a £500 reward for information leading to the conviction of the dog owner whose pet was responsible. Police confirmed they are investigating and are waiting for the results of a post-mortem examination to find out exactly how the cygnets died. Dawlish is famed for its flock of five pairs of rare black swans and ornamental waterfowl. The loss of two of the three seven-week old cygnets has devastated the town's waterfowl warden, Derek Porter, 50. He said: "It's a terrible loss to Dawlish." The attack is thought to have happened between 9.30pm on Thursday last week and 7.45am the following day. Mr Porter said: "I checked them in the evening and they were eating grass in the nest, happy as Larry. "I went down at 7.45am the next day and found two floating dead on the water at the edge of the brook. The other cygnet was fine – it was with its parents in the nest. "It is a terrible thing to have happened. 'Upset' is not the word. The cygnets were at that stage when they were looking like little grey penguins. They were beautiful. A lot of work goes into looking after them – and then this happens. It's tragic. "I took the dead cygnets to a friend of mine who has been a gamekeeper for years. He took one look and said it was the work of a dog. Either the dog killed them in the water or they were killed on the bank and thrown into the water." A bylaw for Dawlish Lawn, which incorporates the brook, requires all dogs to be kept on a lead. Dawlish Town Council's civic amenities committee is looking into whether the council can offer a £500 reward to anyone who can produce evidence that secures a court conviction against the dog owner whose pet was responsible. Committee member Councillor Helen Wills said: "We are very upset about this. They were delightful little balls of fluff and would not have been able to defend themselves because they were so young. "If someone has allowed their animal to attack the swans, they should be brought to court. It's as simple as that." There have been black swans at Dawlish Water since the early 1900s, except for a few years between the two World Wars when the lines were lost. The birds were re-introduced in the late 1940s and have been an emblem of the town for 100 years, living freely on the brook, but are housed in the enclosure when they breed. Anyone with information can call 08452 777 444.
I would like to think that anyone who saw a dog attacking any of the wildfowl would report it without any thought of a reward.
I wonder if they have checked CCTV just in case the got lucky and saw something. and shut up DW I am not scoring political points.
A fox would make more sense than a dog attack, a lot of Town folk think a fox is a small cuddly furry friend, but to those from the country know a fox can run as fast as a lurcher dog over 100 yards, can sneak up better than any cat from down wind, jump 6 feet from a standing start, swim for food and will kill all prey in front of it, not just what it needs to eat and most of all do all this without making a sound or getting seen by humans .
I agree Mark, ask any poultry keeper, they kill for fun, with nobody culling them now, can see more of this happening, do feel sad for the swans though.
PJD, are you going to saddle up and form the Dawlish Hunt? I bet you'd look very fetching in breeches and pinks. User4549 could be your whipper-in! However, I'd imagine that it would be bally difficult for you brave boys on horseback to catch a mink... Tally ho! Seriously though, my fingers are crossed that the 6 eggs all hatch next Wednesday and that as many of them as possible survive to adulthood, despite the domesticated dogs and wild mink.
Oh yes, I can see that you'd definitely make a jolly good whipper-in! Though I think your bullyboy antics might mean that you'd be better suited as one of the other hunt lackeys, ah yes a terrier man.... Tally ho! The unspeakable chasing the uneatable.
If you were infront of me I would love to be the Whipper-in, I am sick of your vicious attacks when you seem to think that you are the one being attacked, check you previous posts and you will find you always start it, and like a twit I tend to lower my sights to your level, which regret.
Foxes dont kill for fun, they kill through instinct, kill the prey, as many as possible, with the intention of burying it for later times to feed its young. Now with no real enemy, the fox is free to roam. More foxes are finding urban surroundings easier, easier food to be found. Good job we stopped hunting isnt it.
Yes, it IS a good job that the sick bastards who enjoy bloodsports have been banned from continuing their perverted bloodlust.
Yes I agree that those that took enjoyment out of blood sports have had thier sport banned, and yes they are sick bar stewards. But in reality it has given the fox chance to expand population, expand into urban areas, to use its killer instincts on domestic pets and commercial animals (ie chicken coups and animals used as tourist attractions). Now that hunting with dogs is banned the only way to cull the expanding population is the use of guns. There is a sharp shooter in all areas isnt there. We have banned the hunting with dogs of bushy tailed fluffy animals, yet we still allow the hunting with dogs of rodents with long tails that live in sewers. Why is this? We cant use a dog to hunt and kill a fox, yet we can use one to hunt and kill rats. Whats the difference? apart from one is a nice cute animal and the other lives in human waste and carries disease. But which one is which?.
"expand population, expand into urban areas," @lazlo woodbine. the fox has been an urban hunter for a long long time, and way before they banned hunting them with dogs, which in reality, had a very minimal impact on their population. just think about it. 1] how many foxes are there in a 10 mile radius of dawlish? ok, discount the sea. 2] how often did the hunt come to the area? 3] how successful was the hunt at every meet?
Foxhunting did nothing to reduce the number of foxes, as many hunts bred foxes to give them something to chase. A study going on at the moment actually suggests that the number of foxes is decreasing . The more urbanised they have become the more get killed by motorvehicles. Farmers have also been killing them , instead of leaving them for the hunt. As for the hooray henrys that take part in the hunt. They claim that numbers taking part have risen sharply. So this proves it was right to ban fox hunting, as now more people are willing to attend now that an animal isnt chased for miles until it is exhausted and then ripped apart by a pack of dogs.
Fox hunting used to catch the old foxes that caused most mayhem such as killing cygnets, now the farmer has to deal with them, the tend to either shoot them or leave dried dog food soaked in antifreeze near the den . Which leads to a painful death for the entire fox family.
ROTFLMBO Take care! If you do that as often as you might at Mr. Man's posts you will be pretty squeaky in no time. Don
Bless you. A man your age using acronyms like that. You're SOOOO down with the kids... Anyway, I'd love to hang around and take the piss a bit longer, but I'm off for breakfast with my best pal Reynard. I wonder what we'll have to eat today? Tally Ho!
Almost needless to say, I had to look it up. My knowledge of cool slang expires at "Far out, man." Judging by a thread on Eyes of Dawlish, peacock could be on the menu. Don