This article is more than 5 years old

This article is more than 5 years old

Rising numbers of swans are being killed or maimed in “senseless shootings” with airguns, the Queen’s swan marker has revealed.

David Barber said dozens of the birds had been targeted over the last year, with the number of victims up considerably.

He was speaking on Wednesday as he prepared to carry out the swan upping ceremony, the annual census of the swan population on the Thames.

Barber said: “The most disappointing news affecting the Thames’s swans is the continuing increase in the number of swans and cygnets being shot with airguns.

“These senseless shootings cause horrific injuries and often death, with the injured swans and cygnets sometimes taking days or even weeks to die if they are not discovered soon after being shot.

“I think airguns are very easy to get hold off and swans are easy targets. The majority of members of the public are very vigilant and have reported shot swans when they have discovered them, enabling the fortunate ones to be rescued and saved with veterinary intervention.”

Following the “deplorable” shootings, several schools are being invited to join the count to “learn about the ecology of the mute swan and the history of swan upping”, Barber added.

Swan upping takes place during the third week of July and dates back to the 12th century when the crown claimed ownership of all mute swans.

The Queen’s swan marker counts the number of young cygnets to ensure the swan population is maintained. Barber said the birds had survived well during the winter after high flood waters in 2014.

He added: “Natural predators such as foxes and mink pose a serious risk to young cygnets when they are very small and there has also been an increase in reported incidents of birds of prey taking small cygnets.”

This year’s swan upping will start in Sunbury, Surrey, on Monday 20 July and end at Abingdon, Oxfordshire, on Friday 24 July.