Swan is rescued in harbour

Published: December 19, 2006 | 5206th good news item since 2003

A rare swan was rescued from Whitby harbour on Thursday after two members of the public found it collapsed on a slip way.

Yorkshire Swan Rescue came to the aid of the stricken whooper swan which was suffering from exhaustion and was dangerously malnourished.

Joe McCabe, one of the founders of the charity, said that the bird was only a cygnet, probably less than a year old and may have become detached from a larger group.

The age of the bird can be determined by the grey feathers around its face which will turn white as it gets older.

“It is very unusual to find a whooper swan in Whitby,” said Mr McCabe.

“They spend most of the year in Russia before flying over for a couple of months in the winter.”

The swan will now be treated at the charity’s hospital in York until it is fit enough to be released back into the wild.

The bird will first have to be fed to get its weight up to a safe level and it will also be given a blood test to ensure that it is suffering from no other illnesses.

The swan will not be released back into Whitby harbour but instead will be taken to another part of the country.

“We will try to locate another group of whooper swans to relocate the bird with,” said Mr McCabe.

“As it is just a young cygnet it will be better for it to be with its own kind so it can follow their lead when they return to Russia.”

Yorkshire Swan Rescue relies totally on donations and volunteers to offer a 24 hour protection service.

Published in Animals and Rescues
See also: www.whitbytoday.co.uk