The two swans found mutilated in a meadow near Zuidlaren in mid-April did not die as a result of animal abuse. That writes Minister for Nature and Nitrogen Christianne van der Wal.
“Inquiries with the province of Drenthe have shown that there has been no animal abuse here. The swans in question flew against high-voltage power lines and died as a result,” the minister answers questions from the Party for the Animals MP Leonie Vestering.
Employees of the Animal Ambulance found the swans on 13 April in a meadow on the Nieuwe Dijk. The legs appeared to be clipped and there was a suspicion that there were bullet holes in the cadavers. “To make you sick,” said an employee who called in the police.
As a result of the alleged swan murder, the PvdD asked questions. The party also wanted to know whether abuse of swans is on the rise, as the party suspects. The ministry does not have any figures on this. “The exact number of reports of this type of violation can only be determined by manual analysis. Such a search requires a great deal of time and capacity from the Public Prosecution Service and the police and has so far not been characterized as proportional.”