Swan closes towpath

THE police in Skipton have warned people to keep away from a particular stretch of towpath where an aggressive male swan has taken over.

Both the police and the RSPCA have carried out investigations after three separate incidents involving an aggressive swan and towpath users on a stretch of the Leeds & Liverpool Canal in the town, Alan Tilbury reveals.

Protecting nesting female

The three incidents include a man was seen kicking the swan that was protecting a nesting female by the towpath; another man was seen with his hands around the swan's neck; the swan attacked a cyclist and had its wing caught in the cycle wheel as the cyclist attempted to fend the swan off.

 

It was after these incidents that Skipton police warned people to stay away from that part of the towpath.

Quite normal

A spokesman for the RSPCA, Leanne Plumtree, explained:

"An officer has been to the scene and, happily, the bird is uninjured. He is behaving in an aggressive way, which is quite normal at this time of year as he is protecting a nesting female and eggs."

The swans, nest and eggs are all protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act and it is illegal to kill, injure or take swans from the wild unless injured, so the swans cannot be moved.

It is expected that British Waterways might be able to arrange a temporary diversion to keep the public away.