ONE of Dawlish’s iconic black swans has been killed by a dog.

The victim was the father swan of the current clutch of eggs waiting to hatch.

The incident happened at Tuck’s Plot while the dog was being kept on a lead.

The dog’s owner is said to be ‘devastated’.

Waterfowl wardens have removed the eggs from the nest so they can continue to incubate in the waterfowl compound on the Lawn.

A spokesman for Dawlish Town Council, which looks after all the town’s birdlife, said: ‘We are sad to inform everyone that there has been an unfortunate incident where the father black swan has been killed by a dog on a lead in Tuck’s Plot.

‘Mother swan is still at the nest, and we will be maintaining a careful watch on her welfare.

‘The exact circumstances of the incident are still being investigated.

‘We would remind everyone whether they have a dog or not to give all the waterfowl a distance and respect their space.’

A bye law is in place requiring all dogs to be kept on leads in the area.

The swan population was decimated in 2020 when 11, including five cygnets, died, many from a strain of Avian flu.

Numbers have since been replenished.

Four years ago, the black swans suffered a series of attacks by dogs.

In one incident both a cygnet and a female swan were killed and previously another female swan was found dead after being attacked by a dog.

She was one of a breeding pair and her partner was injured trying to protect its mate.

The same year, one man was prosecuted after his dog attacked and killed a swan.

However in that incident, the dog was off the lead, contrary to the by law. Magistrates issued a fine and awarded costs to Dawlish Town Council.

This was not the case in the recent incident where the dog had been on a lead. The black swans, one of Dawlish’s major tourist attractions, were introduced to the town in 1900 from New Zealand by John Nash, a Dawlish-born man who emigrated.

Native to Australia, the swans have been an emblem of the town for decades.