A LONE male swan whose mate was attacked and killed in Cirencester, just before the pair were about to become parents, will be kept under close watch by animal rescuers.

The swan pair had lived at the Abbey Grounds in Cirencester for more than 15 years and were preparing to be parents for the first time. But last Saturday morning the female swan was found dead at the park and showed evidence of having been attacked; most likely by a dog.

Now the forlorn male has taken it upon himself to guard the eggs, and the public are being urged by animal rescue trust Oak and Furrows to report any unusual changes.

A member of the Trust took the female swan away after she was found on Saturday, April 11 and had her cremated, as is done with most cases.

Chrissy Ball from Oak and Furrows said that staff and volunteers at the centre are now keeping a close eye on the male swan, to see how he is managing.

"With any wildlife there is lots of uncertainty so we can never say anything for certain," she said. "But swans are very good parents and we always hope for the best.

"In some cases it's better not to interact. If can often be damaging stepping in if not necessary. Hopefully he'll be a good dad. It's harder because he's a single father but we'll keep an eye on him."

Martin Conyers, who manages the Abbey Grounds for Cirencester Town Council said he was sad to hear of the death of the female swan.

"The Town Council would like to remind all dog owners that they are responsible for keeping their pets under control in public places. We would also like to thank Oak and Furrows for dealing with the incident at the time."

Although swans mate for life, a swan can find a new mate if his partner dies or is killed. Many people in the town are hopeful that it will not be a sad ending for the male swan and his eggs.

Sue Witby, a member of Park Ward Community Group in Cirencester, said people needed to put their dogs on leads to stop something like this happening again.

She added: "This is a terrible thing to have happened."