(JP) Police launch hunt for serial swan killer

January 8, 2003

Police launch hunt for serial swan killer

TATEBAYASHI, Gunma -- Two swans were fatally shot through the heart at a

bird sanctuary here, prompting police to launch a hunt for the shooter,

officials said Monday.

After local residents found the two mute swans in Tatebayashi, Gunma

Prefecture, on separate occasions late last week, local government

officials asked a veterinarian to investigate the cause of their death.

The vet concluded that the swans had died after being shot in the heart

with either a bullet or an arrow.

As the vet found no trace of either, however, Gunma police officers say the

birds were shot with a gun at point blank range or that the arrows were

later removed.

The residents found one of the swans near a swamp in Tatebayashi and

another in the garden of a house in the area last Friday morning.

Both swans grew up in another pond in the city before animal protectionists

transferred them to the swamp in October. The Gunma Prefectural Hall

designates the swamp and surrounding districts as a wildlife preservation

area. (Mainichi Shimbun, Dec. 9, 2002)

Recommended Posts