A FUNDRAISING appeal has been launched after a group of swans were found dead and fatally injured after being attacked with a suspected catapult and ball bearings.
A member of the public found one injured swan on the riverside and three who died nearby in Grange Hill, at Coggeshall, on Monday, January 2 at 8.30pm.
Investigations are ongoing by Essex Police and so far no arrests have been made.
Residents were left feeling “physically sick” after the attack.
A fundraiser has now been set up to raise money for an engraved memorial bench and safety measures, including a wildlife camera, to protect the animals.
So far, nearly £1,000 has been raised.
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Since the attack, two more swans have been visiting the spot and residents are keen to protect them from a repeat attack.
Visitors have been leaving flowers in a box in memory of the swans killed.
Denise Griffiths, a dog walker and pet sitter from Coggeshall who launched the fundraiser, said: “There has been a family of swans living in Coggeshall for generations so to have the family brutally killed has been heartbreaking.
“I felt physically sick and so angry that someone had done something so cruel and vicious.
“They have destroyed this family, all for nothing, robbing the whole community of something very precious to us. Why would anyone do something so horrific?
“I wanted to do something so the swans are never forgotten and decided to start a fund to put an engraved memorial bench by the river where they lived.
“Any visitors to the spot where the swans were killed can sit, relax and remember them.”
She added: “We would also like to put in a wildlife camera and are looking into various other options depending on how much we raise.
“I have been overwhelmed by the response and have raised nearly £1,000. “It would be wonderful to reach our target of £2000, we could do so much with that amount.
“How anyone could kill such beautiful, defenceless birds is beyond me. It really is heartbreaking.”
For more information go to the Coggeshall Swans Memorial Facebook page and to donate, visit crowdfunder.co.uk/p/coggeshall-swans-memorial.
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