A man has been arrested after a shocking video surfaced appearing to show a swan being dragged through a park by its neck. Police say a 35-year-old man is currently in custody having been arrested for causing unnecessary suffering to a protected animal.
The alleged incident occurred in a park near Caerphilly Castle in Wales on Sunday, December 3, Gwent Police confirmed. The arrest comes after a video shared to social media went viral which showed a man carrying the bird by its neck as it flapped its wings trying to escape.
Onlookers can be heard screaming in the back of the video asking the man to release the swan. Brandon Ryzy filmed the alleged incident and confronted the man, who alleged he only grabbed the bird because it had attacked his child.
Mr Ryzy, 21, can be heard screaming in the video: “Put it f***ing down!’ His appeal was echoed by fellow park goers yelling ‘put it down!”
He detailed how the bird’s feathers were ruffled near where its neck had been gripped and claimed it was seemingly ‘in shock’.
He said: “I watched the man walk off and stayed with the bird to see if it could get itself back to the moat.”
Mr Ryzy also reported the incident to the police.
All unmarked mute swans found in open water in England are regarded as belonging to the King and are protected by the monarch’s swan guard.
This means that taking a swan could be regarded as theft. Killing or injuring a swan could also result in a criminal damage or a wildlife related offence.
Caerphilly Bird Rescue has branded the attack as ‘sickening’.
