Hi Digi and Welcome to WAB
If you can remember where the swan hit the powerlines then get a grid refrence and report it to the local power people, eg: Manweb, of whichever supplier is in your area. You can get diverter discs put on the lines to stop swans flying into them. Swans have appalling eye sight and the lines are practically invisible to them so the diverter discs do help.
As for cruelty....Welcome to the world of a wildlife rehabber!!!
We deal with this sort of thing on an almost daily basis, it's one of the more depressing aspects of our work.
Having said that, the good folk outweigh the bad in our opinion, and hopefully if people report what they see to the police wildlife liaison officer or local RSPCA then maybe prosecutions will follow and discourage others from like minded curelty.
I would suggest to anyone seeing cruelty to report it, get as much information as you can, eg What the people look like, If they are driving vehicles, get the registration, and if you have a camera Take photos!!
The priority is to make sure you don't put yourself in danger, some of these 'sickos' can be very dangerous (eg.
Badger baiters for example)
If you can rescue the animal, then take it to the nearest Vet or rescue centre for a check up, some injuries may not be apparent.
We had a small
Hedgehog who had been put in a metal bucket by children and repeatedly kicked about inside. A very kind gentleman rescued the said
Hedgehog and clipped the kids about the ear OOPss!!! ( well we were secretly pleased he did however I don't condone this approach !)
When he got it to us it was curled up tightly into a small ball, and only after knocking it out with anaesthetic gas did we realise it had a fractured hip, so badly so that it had to be Put to sleep.
I could go on and on, but it becomes depressing to dwell on the cruelty people can inflict on animals so I'll stop now!
Tragus