Swans in East Sussex had a rough ride over the weekend with Wildlife Rescuers needing to rescue one swan which had been shot in the head, a dog attacked swan, a road casualty swan and one which kids were attempting to kick.
The four incidents have infuriated the volunteer rescuers which have had to pick up the pieces.
Volunteer rescuers from East Sussex Wildlife Rescue and Ambulance Service (WRAS) have had an extremely busy start to 2008 and over the weekend over 70 phone calls were received reporting casualties.
"Normally at this time of year our average is more like 5-10 calls a day, this is over 3 times that number." said Trevor Weeks founder of East Sussex WRAS.
East Sussex Wildlife Rescue and Ambulance Service (WRAS) volunteers have been out and about today (Wednesday) rescuing oiled seabirds on our coastline. 7 call-outs were received by WRAS today, but several of them had returned to the sea when rescuers arrived.
Most people will enjoy a walk at some point over the Christmas break to walk off their dinner, so WRAS is asking these walkers to lend a hand and keep an eye out for any oiled seabirds which may come ashore.
Most years Christmas sees volunteer rescuers from East Sussex Wildlife Rescue and Ambulance Service (WRAS) having to rescue oil covered birds from the Sussex Coast line. Some years the numbers are worse than others, and numbers can vary from less than 100 to almost a thousand.
