Ullswater geese deaths: Park rangers probe mystery of vanishing birds

Ullswater is the second largest lake in the Lake District

Lake District park rangers have been called in to investigate the mysterious disappearance of geese seen being dragged under water.

Witnesses have reported wildfowl vanishing suddenly at Ullswater in recent days.

The Lake District National Park said it was monitoring the waters but nothing out of the ordinary had been found.

Boat worker Wayne Owens said he saw one goose "dragged backwards across the water at speed" before it went under.

He said he was leaving Pooley Bridge on Thursday when he was shocked by what he saw.

"There was a large flock of Greylag geese on the lake, when one about 10lbs in weight - a fully grown adult bird - started flapping its wings furiously on top of the water before it got dragged backwards at speed and straight down."

A keen swimmer in the lake, Mr Owens says he is taking a break from going into the water.

"It has shaken me up and I don't want anyone to get injured," he added.

"I've been advised by someone who fishes the lake it could be a wels catfish but it would have had to be 50-60lbs in weight."

Wayne Owens who has been a regular swimmer in Ullswater is worried someone could be injured

Wels catfish are not native to the UK but they can grow up to eight feet long and feed on fish, small mammals and wildfowl.

More disappearing geese were witnessed by Mr Owens' skipper, Christian Grammar, on Friday.

"They were flapping together on the water and one of them just disappeared, my two crew and I all saw it and looked at each other to say 'did you see that?'

"Then another goose went under about 10 or 20 seconds later and there was no disturbance on the water," Mr Grammar said.

A 144lb (65.3kg) wels catfish was caught by James Jones in Essex 10 years ago

Dr Roger Sweeting, a fish expert at Freshwater Biological Association, said: "It could be a pike or it could be a goose that has got badly tangled up with wire or similar and has collected lots of other material and become exhausted and is failing to maintain its stability in the water.

"I have seen incidents like this with ducks entangled in fishing line."

Wildlife expert Kevin O'Hara believes an otter could be the culprit.

"My immediate thought was an otter and I would stand by that as I've seen them take mute swans," he said.

"A dog otter is a big animal about 25lbs in weight and they feed on waterfowl."

The Lake District National Park Authority said it would "keep an eye on the area".

A spokesman said: "We are aware of the alleged incidents involving geese on Ullswater. Our Lake Ranger team patrolled the area over the weekend and did not see anything out of the ordinary."