A spokesman for the Wandle Valley Wildlife Hospital, Church Road, says it will press charges if it finds out who is responsible for the shooting of a swan and the ensnaring of a fox in two separate incidents.

The swan was brought in by a member of the public on Easter Monday after being found near the river Wandle having been shot under the wing.

It is now making good progress after being treated by vets and is expected to be released back to the wild in a couple of days.

The hospital will not say exactly where the callous act took place for fear of a repeat attack.

Public relations and appeal manager Claire Fryer said: "Obviously there are things that can be shot legally but swans aren't one of them. These people have little regard for law and cruelty to animals.

"They would know it wouldn't kill the swan and that it wouldn't have been a fatal shot."

In another incident, a female fox was discovered in an Epsom garden on Saturday morning with both its legs tangled in illegal snares.

The fox, which had recently given birth, was recovering this week in Wandle Valley Wildlife Hospital, although it may have to have parts of its injured legs amputated.

There was little hope for the chances of its litter of pups, which were unlikely to have survived for more than a few days without their mother.

The hospital has issued an appeal urging the public to keep an eye out for animal cruelty because it is so alarmed by two incidents happening within a matter of days. Miss Fryer said such occurrences were thankfully quite rare.

Anyone with any information about how the fox or the swan's injuries happened should call 020 8647 6230.

In the meantime, the hospital will be giving the public a chance to meet its patients on Saturday, May 6, to help raise valuable cash to continue its good work.

The entrance fee will be £3 for adults and £1 for children.