'Boring' Radio 4 stops fixes attacking swans at Abbotsbury Swannery

'BORING' Radio 4 is stopping foxes from attacking swans at Abbotsbury Swannery in Dorset.

The Swannery is based by a lagoon, and protected by fences stretching nearly 60 metres out into the water, but hungry foxes used to swim round and cause havoc.

'They caused a huge amount of damage on a regular basis,' said Swanherd Dave Wheeler.

'It was a farmer that put us on to Radio 4. In his words – Radio 4 is so boring that foxes won't go near it.'

At the outer reaches of the Swannery, close to the water's edge, Mr Wheeler has put radios that play BBC Radio 4 at full volume.

'Foxes follow the boundary fence looking for a way to get in to the Swannery and it's when they get to the water that we need to deter them.

'They hear voices and they think people must be around and so they go away.

'I never knew the name of the farmer. He was from Devon and was visiting the Swannery. He was quite a character. His ears weren't as good as they might have been, so we had to shout at him and he had a dry sense of humour.

'We thought it was a big joke at first but he eventually convinced us that Radio 4 worked for him and so we thought – if it's worked for him, it should work for us.

'He said he found out by accident. He left his radio on and he didn't lose a chicken that night.

'The good thing about Radio 4 is that it talks and it continues talking all night long, partly as the World Service. A lot of other stations might change to music or stop altogether.

'We've never tried other stations because Radio 4 works, and if it works, why fix it?'

How do the swans feel about it? 'Our swans are not bothered by people and so they're not worried by voices,' said Mr Wheeler.

Abbotsbury Swannery was set up more than 600 years ago by Benedictine monks who farmed swans for meat.

It is now the only place in the world where visitors can walk through a colony of mute swans.

The swans trust that tourists are not going to eat them, and nor – thanks to Radio 4 – are foxes.

PHOTO CAPTION:

Swanherd Dave Wheeler by the Abbotsbury Swannery fence in The Fleet lagoon, Dorset, with digital radio tuned to Radio 4. The stand and thatched hut – for protection from high tides and bad weather – are hand-made by Swannery staff.

A selection of photographs is available on the Watershed website.

Download hi-res images here http://bit.ly/oQvw3T

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