A NESTING swan has been mauled to death by a dog on the River Stour.

The brown dog went straight for the mute swan’s neck as it sat on eggs around 100 metres down from Iford Weir, at Christchurch, according to onlooker Meryvn Rochester.

The swan’s mate has abandoned the nest following the “horrific” attack at 5.45pm on Saturday, and Mr Rochester wants dog owners to understand the importance of keeping their pets under control.

Mr Rochester, of Iford Gardens, said: “The pointer just came bounding up the path and went straight down and killed the swan, quite quickly and savagely.

“It lasted about 30 seconds. They both ended up in the water and the swan was trying to flap away.

“The swan was on a little island a few metres offshore but within a couple of bounds the dog was there.

“It was extraordinary. Feathers went flying everywhere. It was really horrific and heart wrenching.”

The dog ignored shouts to stop, he says.

A man and a woman, who also had another dog, arrived and put the animal back on a lead.

There are three deserted eggs in the nest but predators may have already snatched others.

“Swans are very loyal and tend to pair for life,” Mr Rochester said.

“The surviving swan, when it spotted the body in the water, will have tried to resuscitate the dead bird.

“It’s still in the vicinity but there’s no way one swan can hatch the eggs on their own.

“I just want to stop anything like this happening again.”

Dorset Police’s wildlife liaison officer is investigating.