Firefighters came to the rescue of a cygnet that got a fishing hook stuck in its mouth on the River Severn in Shrewsbury.

The fire service was called in to rescue the cygnet by the RSPCA after a member of the public spotted it distress and away from the rest of its family yesterday morning.

Elaine Williams, animal welfare officer for the RSPCA, said that the fire service had been called in as the charity did not have enough staff to man a boat to get out to the cygnet close to Greyfriars Bridge, which links the Quarry and Coleham.

“A member of the public had been down to feed the swans and noticed one of the cygnets with nylon hanging from its beak,” she said.

“There are five cygnets and two parents, but this one had separated himself from the group.”

She said that it had been a challenge to catch the cygnet, who attempted to evade the firefighters that were trying to take him ashore so he could be treated.

“They had to chase it around and had a couple of failed attempts. But when they got him, he still had some of the fishing float attached and he did have a hook in his mouth. There was quite a lot of blood coming from his mouth,” she added.

Miss Williams said there had been no problem from the rest of the family of swans while the firefighters were plucking the cygnet from the river.

“They were quite happy being fed under the bridge so there was no trouble,” she said.

The fire service arrived on scene at about 12.40pm and spent about an hour attempting to safely capture the cygnet before it could be handed to the RSPCA and sent on its way for treatment.

Following the river rescue, the cygnet was taken to Severn Edge Vets in Much Wenlock for treatment and was then transported to wildlife rescue centre Cuan House, also in Much Wenlock, for recuperation from its injuries.

If he manages to make a full recovery, the cygnet will be released back onto the River Severn to be reunited with the rest of his family.

By Chris Burn