On Sunday 20th October, an injured swan washed up at Tamesis Yacht Club, having difficulties moving and seemingly tangled up in fishing equipment.
A club member, observing a sailing race that was taking place, noticed a swan floating along the riverbank, struggling to swim and bleeding.
An urgent call went out to the ‘Swan Sanctuary,’ a 24-hour alert service based in Shepperton that responds to ‘swans in distress’ calls.
The local rescue team arrived swiftly, to address the situation.
Sanctuary members, Sally, and Lisa, got straight to it, carefully pulling the swan out of the water, and keeping it calmly restrained, so they could better assess its condition.
On further inspection, it was determined the swan had a double pike hook stuck in its leg.
Due the severity of the situation, they deemed it best to take the bird back to the sanctuary, to safely remove the pike and administer intensive care.
Both women spoke about the increase of injuries to swans and other river wildlife recently, due to fishing equipment being misused and not safely stored, and how it is sadly becoming a frequent issue.
Thanks to the quick response from both the public and the Sanctuary’s brilliant rescue team, the swan made a full recovery.
The double pike hook in its leg was removed, and it remained with the sanctuary for a few days of observation.
The swan has now been safely released back on to the Thames, not far from where it was found.
Sally, one of the rescue team, said, ‘Sadly it is quite a common injury, but thankfully no damage done.’
The Swan Sanctuary is a charity dedicated to the care and protection of swans, aided by sponsorships and donations from the public.
Their work provides an emergency service, where members of the public can alert the sanctuary to a swan in danger.
If you see a swan in distress or injured, phone the Sanctuary, to report the situation.
Visit the Sanctuary at their website https://www.theswansanctuary.org.uk/ to find out more about their valuable work.
