"Two of the swans had surgery for open fractures in their wings. Hopefully, they will recover. But we're not sure they'll be able to fly again. This is the latest news, communicated at the end of the week by the association L'Hirondelle de trois cygnes, thrown from an SNCF bridge on October 17, 2023, and which were discovered dying in the waters of the Rhône.
The case caused a stir in Lyon, where a complaint was filed against X on 30 October from the Stéphane Lamart association, which works for the defence of animals. "The swans were on a railway bridge over the Rhône when they fell about ten metres. They fell like a stone into the water, without being able to spread their wings," says Pascal Tavernier, president of the Hirondelle association.
Commitments from the SNCF to ensure that this does not happen again
The swans were on the train tracks after presumably hitting cables when they were thrown off the bridge. "It's a fairly common accident," says Pascal Tavernier. But, usually, when they hit cables, they are rarely injured and the SNCF agents are supposed to call us. Which they didn't do that day. Informed of the situation, SNCF Réseau did not take long to react, acknowledging its mistake but denying any intention of mistreatment, citing a "lack of knowledge of the swans' ability to fly".
Although the swans were saved, one of them unfortunately could not be operated on by the veterinarians of the Hirondelle association. The SNCF has made commitments to ensure that such an event does not happen again. "We didn't file a complaint because the SNCF was reactive," says Pascal Tavernier, who is now waiting for action: "We hope that these commitments will be kept, otherwise we will file a civil suit."