Calls have been made for action to protect a nesting swan in Grimsby after it was subjected to further abuse following an incident earlier this month. On Saturday, March 18, a woman walking near the River Freshney with her partner witnessed three boys, who she says were aged between 14 and 16, throw a stick at the swan, which is one of two that is nesting on a section of the river close to The Barge in Grimsby town centre. She confronted the youths who subsequently walked away - but a local wildlife rescue organisation has since said that further incidents of abuse towards the swan have sadly taken place. Volunteers, and the woman who witnessed the incident, are now calling on North East Lincolnshire Council to install a protective barrier around the site to protect the creatures. Read more: Anger as boys 'throw stick' at swan nesting in River Freshney The woman who witnessed the March 18 incident told Grimsby Live: "I'm furious, it was absolutely disgusting. I saw the swan sat on the nest and I thought, 'Oh my god, there's so much rubbish and plastic bottles around it', and it really upset me. "I was quite unsure if it was going to be staying there and having the cygnets there. We walked across to PureGym and I saw these three youths, I was watching them, and I saw one of them pick up a stick and he was walking forward and chucked the stick and missed the swan. Then he picked up a big stick and I said, 'What are you doing? That swan can't protect itself'. The incident happened on Saturday, March 18 (Image: GrimsbyLive/Donna Clifford) "He was looking at me and I was like, 'This is wrong, you shouldn't be doing this, what are you doing? Don't do it, imagine if someone did that to you'. He was just like, 'What?'. "On the picture you can see he was knelt down a bit and they were trying to antagonise the swan and the swan was turning around to look the other way." The woman said the youths put the stick down and walked away eventually - but she feels there is a need for more education about wildlife or measures put in place to protect the nesting swan. She continued: "I know all youths aren't like that, but what was going through their heads I have no idea. They should know right from wrong. Does there need to be a sign or more education on wildlife? "The local authority needs to put a barrier up, because she's not going to be able to move once she has cygnets. If it gets to that point again, is one of the cygnets going to die? Is she going to have to move because she needs to protect herself? We need to keep the cygnets safe. Maybe [North East Lincolnshire Council] could put a board up about birds." The swan 'turned away' from the youths during the incident (Image: GrimsbyLive/Donna Clifford) On Tuesday, Cleethorpes Wildlife Rescue took to its
Facebook page to update its followers after volunteers attended the site to determine whether or not the swans were indeed building a nest there. They wrote: "A week later and we've been back to the location of the 'nesting swans' on the River Freshney where residents had previously witnessed sticks and other items being thrown at the pair. "On our first few visits, the structure of 'nest' was actually just reeds and at that time did not have the typical build of a swans nest. We were hopeful that this would not progress further than this." Sadly, volunteers say they have returned since and have found that a nesting structure is now being built - with more reports of incidents of abuse against the swans. "Unfortunately, we have been back since and found that nesting structure is now being built and we're having more reports of incidents of abuse to this pair of swans," they wrote. "While it is possible that this nest will get abandoned if the abuse continues, we have contacted the local authority to see if they have any suggestions, such as creating a temporary protective barrier. "In the meantime, if you do spot abuse... If safe to do so, take a photo of the culprits and contact the
police on 101, you can also send us a message for one of the team to pop down as soon as they can. Thank you!". An NELC spokesperson said: “Swans are wild animals and people should keep their distance from them. “You’re
BREAKING the law if you intentionally injure a wild bird or if you damage or destroy a bird’s nest while it’s being used or built. Any incidents should be reported to the police on 101. “If the swans are being abused on their nest, they will most likely move if they haven’t laid yet. As wild animals, they will learn from their experience and won’t build a nest in the same place if they are repeatedly disturbed.” READ NEXT: 'Boxing will only get bigger' says Grimsby's Levi Giles after landmark title fight Homeless man whose tent was set on
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