Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Man who killed heron to save duckling cautioned by police

The little duck got out alive

Alina Polianskaya
Wednesday 28 March 2018 17:58 EDT
Comments
The man rescued a duckling from the heron's stomach
The man rescued a duckling from the heron's stomach (Getty)

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

A man who killed a heron to rescue a baby duck from its stomach has been cautioned by police.

After witnessing the bigger bird eat the newborn, he decided to act, according to North Wales Police Rural Crime Team.

“Strangely he actually did rescue the duckling alive from the dead heron’s stomach” the force posted on Twitter.

“But obviously he was then left with a dead heron. You couldn’t make this up!”

The man, who police chose not to name, was cautioned after police revealed he was “vulnerable” and “elderly”.

They said he had “confessed voluntarily to the action with no previous convictions”.

But the decision to let the man off with what some deemed an overly light punishment, provoked a mixed reaction on social media.

Some felt he should have received a more severe punishment, especially as herons are protected by the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981.

Lee Dingain, who describes himself as a conservationist, a naturalist and a Wader Quest trustee posted on Twitter: “Utterly ridiculous! Not too elderly to kill an apparently “protected” & not to mention formidable bird.

“The heron is the vulnerable one! Decisions like this are a major part of the reason why wildlife crime is not taken seriously.

“If he had stabbed someone he would be prosecuted.”

The RSPB bird charity states in their online public information: “In Great Britain the heron is protected at all times under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, with fines or prison sentences available for anyone killing or attempting to kill.

The North Wales Police rural unit was not immediately available for comment when contacted by The Independent.

They tweeted in response to questions about the caution: “These decisions are never taken lightly and a number of factors are addressed.”

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in