A lucky young swan that survived crashing into the side of a house during recent storms has been nursed back to health by a local vet and staff at the RSPCA animal rescue centre near Godshill.
The cygnet spent several days recuperating after the accident at Carisbrooke before getting a clean bill of health and being released back into the wild.
RSPCA Isle of Wight branch manager Suzanne Pugh said:
“We are not completely sure what caused the cygnet to crash into the house. It may well have been caught in a gust of wind during a storm or just didn’t realise the wall was coming up as it is still a juvenile.
“Fortunately, a neighbour saw the incident and alerted the residents of the house who were at home at the time. And as good fortune would have it, it turned out one of homeowners is local veterinarian that the shelter partners with.”
The bird was taken to Green, Roberts and Butler of Carisbrooke who were able to provide a health inspection which showed the animal had a soft tissue injury on its throat. The bird spent a while at the practice for monitoring and was then transferred to the animal rescue centre at Bohemia Corner for a period of further care prior to release.
Once fully recovered, the swan was taken back to its local area at the 8 Bells pub and reunited with its own flock, or wedge, of swans as they are also known.
Suzanne said:
“The swan was very lucky both to have survived the impact and then to have found itself in the immediate care of a respected local vet.
“We were thrilled to play our part in the recuperation and release and we hope that the cygnet learns from its experience.”
