A swan was killed in a Swords hit-and-run on Sunday.
And an outraged community is calling for protection for the animals to prevent further tragedies. Independent4Change Councillor Dean Mulligan wants new fences to be set up close to a lake to protect the swans.
It follows several incidents in recent weeks where swans have been left injured by cars, while Northwood in Santry has also been described as an area of concern. Cllr Mulligan told Dublin Live that the land where the swans are currently nesting is not owned by the council.
He explained: "It's on private land not owned by the council, we think it's owned by developers. A swan was unfortunately hit by a car and killed last Sunday at Broadmeadows on the road opposite the apartments, which was awful.
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"It's mating season and swans are fighting over territory. A lot of animals are crossing inadvertently, there's no fence or anything for protection."
Cllr Mulligan is now calling for a fence to be put up "to protect people and animals" as a matter of urgency. Meanwhile, Lisa McAuley from the newly opened Kildare Wildlife Rescue told FM104 that this time of year is when swans fight for their territory, with cygnets being moved by their parents to protect them.
She said: "You'll have a pair of young swans coming into the Santry area looking for a territory, and they will fight these resident swans, and swans fly out in fear and terror. It's just so open, there's no fencing or anything to keep them from flying out into the traffic."
Under the Wildlife Acts of 1976 and 2000 in Ireland both swans and gulls are protected species, and any attempt at harming them is deemed a criminal offence.
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