Plea to motorists after cygnet death at Alfriston

This reminder follows an incident where a cygnet was fatally struck just north of Alfriston on Monday (July 15) and another cygnet got separated from its family requiring rescuers from WRAS to attend.

Each year, East Sussex Wildlife Rescue & Ambulance Service handles hundreds of confirmed cases of road wildlife casualties, along with hundreds more suspected incidents.

Responders quickly arrived in Alfriston after a worried motorist's call at 11.40am. Unfortunately, the cygnet that was hit was killed instantly, but a kind-hearted motorist placed another cygnet to a nearby field for safety.

“The cygnet made its way into a nearby drainage dyke and by the time we arrived it had swum along the dyke towards Long Bridge.

"The poor thing was clearly frightened after its ordeal and hissed as soon as it saw me” said Rescue Co-ordinator Trevor Weeks, founder of East Sussex Wildlife Rescue.

Trevor was joined by Senior Rescuer Keith Ring and between the two of them they were able to catch the cygnet in the dyke using long poles and nets.

“I inspected the cygnet to ensure it’s legs were strong, and that it’s wings, body, head, and neck were all in good condition. The motorist verified that this particular cygnet had not been injured. Trevor and I decided to try reuniting the cygnet with its parent.” said Keith.

Mum and dad were located in a drainage dyke next to the road close to where the cygnet was hit. Mum had three cygnets staying very close to her for safety and dad was keeping guard on the bank.

Rescuers Trevor and Keith crossed the road and field to reach the family and released the cygnet by the father. The mother swiftly swam back around the corner after hearing her youngsters calls reuniting her with the fourth cygnet.

"It's wonderful to witness them reunited as a family. However, it's devastating that we are faced with numerous wildlife casualties that stem directly from human actions. About 90% of casualties where there is a known causes are linked, either directly or indirectly, to human activities." said Trevor.

The charity requests that drivers exercise caution on the roads and reduce speed, especially in known hotspots or areas marked with council warning signs. The charity has already handled 165 road casualties in 2024, with an additional 149 suspected road casualties.

“Swan, ducks and geese will be wandering around moving from site to site to find suitable food sources. Young badgers and foxes will be exploring more now and crossing roads they are not used to crossing or may have no idea yet what a car or road is. Birds are flying with ‘L’ plates on learning to fly or may not be particularly good at flying yet.” said Trevor.

The charity is asking drivers to mentally note the locations where they spot wildlife casualties on the road. They advise being vigilant and cautious when passing through these areas on future drives and also recommend paying attention to council road signs.

Motorists are encouraged to exercise caution near waterways and ponds, and to reduce speed when approaching corners, particularly on rural roads where vegetation or embankments may obstruct visibility.

“We appreciate that it's not always possible to prevent collisions with wildlife, especially if they unexpectedly emerge from hedges, even when driving at low speeds. However, we can minimize the risk of serious harm to both wildlife and ourselves by being more cautious.

"Developers have really improved at reducing casualties during construction or preserving special habitats, but with more urban development, wildlife is increasingly at risk long term. Gardens serve as vital wildlife habitats, and some housing estates have successfully boosted local hedgehog populations.

"Unfortunately, developers do not allocate funds to assist wildlife rescue organisations in managing the rising number of wildlife-human interactions and resulting casualties.” said Trevor.

Areas where WRAS frequently responds to road casualties include:

• A27 Beddingham
• A259 Pevensey to Little Common
• C7 Between Lewes and Newhaven
• Ersham Road Hailsham
• A22 and A26 near Little Horsted
• A27 between Firle and Selmeston
• A22 and A27 around Polegate
• A22 Golden Jubilee Way

Notably, Sevenoaks Road, Lottbridge Drove, Royal Parade, and Princes Road in Eastbourne are common areas for swans crash-landing due to turbulence, especially when young birds fly into the nearby lakes, often resulting in road casualties.

A map to help motorists know some of the key locations where road casualty badgers, foxes, hedgehogs, waterfowl, birds of prey as well as sites where wandering waterfowl have been dealt been dealt with by WRAS over the past couple of years, can be found at https://wildlifeambulance.org/educational-resources/facts-figures/road-casualties/

Anyone able to help support East Sussex WRAS’s Vital Summer Staff Appeal can do so at www.wildlifeambulance.org