Fatal swan attack filmed on phone

An animal charity said the swan would have trusted her attacker

A fatal attack on a swan which was filmed on a mobile phone has been described by an animal charity as "cruel, pointless and barbaric".

The BBC was sent the footage by the Surrey-based Swan Sanctuary. The eight-second film shows the Royal Mute Swan being kicked in the head.

She died a slow death from poisoning because eggs still inside her were broken as a result of the attack.

Police in Walton-on-the-Hill are investigating the incident.

Steve Knight, a trustee of the Swan Sanctuary, which operates in Shepperton, said they were alerted on Sunday to a dead swan at Mere Ponds, in Walton-on-the-Hill.

A post-mortem examination established the cause of death as egg peritonitis, but how the swan came to be hurt was initially unclear.

£3,000 reward

Mr Knight said: "We started getting information coming through that there was this footage going round the local schools on mobile phones.

"We put up posters with my mobile number on and somebody anonymously texted me the footage."

Mr Knight said what he saw made him and others feel "sick to the stomach".

"A person with a hood drawn up over his head tempts the swan with some bread.

You can hear them squealing in delight at what they've managed to accomplish Steve Knight, Swan Sanctuary

"He then proceeds to kick it in the head.

"The motion of it falling back would have just broken all her eggs because they're quite soft inside the body.

"She was poisoned and died a slow, painful death.

"It's a pretty sickening sight - unnecessarily cruel and pointless, and a bit barbaric really."

Mr Knight said the person who kicked the swan and his companion who filmed the incident could both be heard "squealing in delight at what they've managed to accomplish".

Local residents have helped accumulate at least £3,000 towards a reward to catch the perpetrators.

Pc Kerry Akehurst, from Surrey Police, said: "The swans are a real feature of Walton-on-the-Hill and at this time of year the local community was looking forward to the birth of the signets.

"We are taking this extremely seriously and will deal robustly with those involved."