Shropshire charity in wildlife crime call after children break goose's wing
A Shropshire charity is urging people to report instances of 'wildlife crime' to the police after a Canada goose suffered a broken wing when it was attacked by a group of children.
Cuan Wildlife Rescue issued a reminder to members of the public to call West Mercia Police or 101 immediately if they witness a wildlife crime, before taking animals to its rescue centre for treatment.
Set up in 1990, the charity cares for sick, injured or orphaned animals at its rescue centre in Much Wenlock and treats around 6,000 creatures each day.
Taking to Twitter on Monday, the charity said it had recently received a call from a member of the public about a Canada goose and other water birds being attacked by a group of children.
The Canada goose suffered 'many injuries' from physical abuse, and while staff did retrieve the injured animal its wing was so badly broken it could not be treated.
Cuan Wildlife Rescue said the police have more jurisdiction and the ability to deal with wildlife crime when incidents occur.
They went on to say that culprits are often prosecuted if the police are contacted first and that police should be contacted before the animals are brought to the centre for treatment.
The charity said: "When the Police are called, ask for the “Wildlife Crime Officer” – most areas do have one.
"They would need information on where the crime is taking place, when it happened, who and what is involved, descriptions of anyone seen and what exactly occurred.
"Photographic evidence if achievable and finally the exact area, using the “WhatThreeWords” app if possible, would be very beneficial.
"If it is not safe for you to intervene, it also wouldn’t be for our staff and volunteers, so the police would need to be the first contact."
A West Mercia police spokesperson said: "We have officers dedicated to wildlife crime who will investigate any report. Always call 999 if you see or suspect a crime in progress. For non-emergencies, anyone can report a crime via www.westmercia.police.uk/contact/af/contact-us/ or call 101."