A councillor plans to write to King Charles III to see if he has any ideas on how to stop two resident mute swans killing ducks and ducklings at Trenance Boating Lake.

Trenance Cornwall councillor Olly Monk will be asking the monarch, which owns any unclaimed mute swan in open water in both England and Wales, for his opinion following residents and visitors calling for an end to the “annual slaughter.”

Many people have been calling for the mute swans to be moved on for a number of years but authorities such as Cornwall Council, which owns Trenance Gardens, have been reluctant to step in as the birds are legally protected by the Wildlife and Countryside Act.

But many visitors to Trenance Gardens, who have been horrified by the swan’s behaviour in recent weeks, have now had enough and are demanding a change in the law.

The ducklings were reportedly killed by the swans shortly after the photograph was taken ( )

A RSPCA spokesperson said: “As a charity, we help wild animals who’ve been injured or who have become trapped, and rehabilitate them for release back into the wild where they belong. 

“Swans are native birds and are protected by the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, which makes it an offence, except under licence, to intentionally take, injure or kill them, or to disturb them while nesting. 

“This means it would be illegal for the RSPCA to relocate these swans, even to protect other birds, unless Natural England were to grant a specific licence; this would be unlikely for healthy swans that are behaving normally. 

“While it is understandably distressing for members of the public to witness, it is natural behaviour for swans to attack other birds. 

“There are also examples of swans returning over large distances to former territories so if they were removed, they could come back to the same location where they used to live, or affect other birds in a different location.”

Resident Donna James said: “It’s an old law like many that exist in our society and in the interest of nature and human wellbeing I think it is antiquated and needs reforming. 

“These swans are murdering young ducklings and are attacking people now because people like me are intervening to save the lives of the innocent babies.”

Cllr Monk said: “I believe that the swans are protected on many different levels.

“However I am going to write to the Environment Agency, the RSPCA and the King to see if they have any ideas on a solution. 

“My opinion is interfering with nature can often have unintended consequences and I fear that simply removing the swans could enable more seagulls which eat the ducklings as they did before the current swans took up residence.”