Why are there so many arseholes in this country

I'm told by a police friend this is often done by game or fishing wardens, or people connected to local fishing, apparently swans "spoil" the fishing are are often targeted.
Certainly this isn't vandals with an air rifle, thats a shotgun. Some years back some swans not too far from where I used to live were killed, that turned out to be a fishing club member if I remember rightly.

Many gamekeepers poison birds of prey too, anything the spoils the hunting/fishing/shooting. It's a sad world we live in.

I had to look it up as not all species are protected but they are covered by

https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/advice/wildlife-and-the-law/wildlife-and-countryside-act/

So in regard to the above......I would like to think that when the perpetrators are found they get successfully prosecuted and with more than a slap on the wrist!!!
 
Could this perhaps be a case of mistaken identity? As far as I'm aware, as part of the current shotgun licence vetting procedure there's no requirement to recognise game birds in flight. Aside from the intentional killing type scenarios, did the person/s who shot those swans perhaps mistake them for geese in flight? What a great way for said person/s to lose their shooting rights on someone's land (not to mention potential prosecution if someone reported the incident)! :facepalm: If so, did they then try to cover their mistake and dispose of their kills on their way home when they thought no one was looking? This scenario could possibly explain why the birds were bagged up and dumped, rather than being disposed of well out of sight if due to a pre-planned illegal act?

No. As anyone with even the slightest experience of game shooting would be able to tell you.

They were shot on the ground. At fairly close range.
 
Why would my comment only apply to mindless idiots?

Lack of respect, I doubt a fisherman/gamekeeper lacks respect, more likely to simply think their wants are more important.

Lack of discipline, owning a shotgun especially legally requires a degree of discipline.

Lack of deterrents, there are deterrents, they chose to ignore them and obviously have done this in such a way as not to get caught.

So unlikely to be mindless idiots. IMO
 
No. As anyone with even the slightest experience of game shooting would be able to tell you.

They were shot on the ground. At fairly close range.
You may well be right. :( It's just that from those X-Rays it doesn't seem to be a particularly tight pattern (assuming that's an adult swan) and there don't appear to be any smashed bones (possible fracture of the wing bone on the right) to indicate close range? Mind you, I don't know if it was a .410, 20 bore or 12 bore, or what the load (or the choke) was. I'm out of touch with game shooting these days, but was remembering what a mess some people used to make of pheasant and duck at close range with a 12 bore. Having had a closer look, is that an airgun pellet at the back of the bird's head in that first X-Ray?
 
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With that pellet spread, I'd say you were looking at 10-15 meters at the very most - assuming a 12 bore. I wouldn't want to use a lighter weapon on a swan.
 
Did you read the thread I linked to - or did you just not bother with that courtesy before you commented?
No. My comment wasnt aimed at any specific thread.

Edit. Read, vauw you guys are easily offended, doesn't take much to get you carried away I'm speechless
And I stand by my comment.
 
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As someone pointed out to me recently, it looks like its been attacked twice.



_104585176_swanxray.jpg
 
Though shotgun seems more likely, in the photo of the body linked in the OP the white spots mostly had darker centres which I thought might indicate pellets — the X-Rays passing through the thinner center versus the thicker walls. I’m not familiar with radiographs of lead shot and it may be an artefact of the imaging process. There are no darker centres in the head /neck image.
 
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