THE latest Black Swan egg to be laid in Dawlish has been attacked by seagulls.
The solitary egg had been laid by female Kimba, earlier this week.
Dawlish’s waterfowl wardens announced the news today.
A spokesman said: ‘Sadly the newest egg was attacked by seagulls yesterday.
Also in the newsNursery in Dawlish closes after safety concernsFamous Dawlish Black Swans laying againHeavy rainfall prompts repeated calls to tackle flood risk£1,000 raised for dog rehoming charity
‘As terrible as this may seem, it is just a natural part of life for these bird.
‘Fortunately Kimba will more than likely be producing more eggs in the coming weeks so hope springs eternal.’
The breeding pair of Bert and Kimba last previously had six eggs in September last year.
Those offspring, of which four remain, are now juveniles.
Two died when just a few months old, one was possible attacked by a seagull and the other died in November from ill health.
The swans have been the emblem of Dawlish for more than 50 years.
There are records of them in the early 20th century but they died out between the two world wars.
In the late 1940s, Captain GRS Pitman, a game warden in Uganda, presented a pair of Black Swans to Dawlish in memory of his parents.