RSPCA officers move cygnets to River Severn site
Friday 16th December 2011, 10:59AM GMT.
Cygnets brought up in the remains of a castle near Oswestry have been moved to a new home on the banks of the River Severn.
The cygnets, which were born at Whittington Castle to two swans who have made the site their home for many years, were moved for their safety to the banks of the river at Atcham, near Shrewsbury.
Each year the cygnets try to fly away from the landlocked moat at the castle once they are almost grown.
But without a long enough ‘runway’ of water from which to take off some previous first flights have ended in disaster, with the cygnets ending up on nearby roads or flying into power lines.
This year RSPCA officers had to obtain a licence from the Queen’s Swan Master to capture and move them to ensure their safety.
Armed with the licence, hooks and special bags in which to transport the birds, RSPCA officers captured all seven cygnets, one of the largest broods to survive at the castle. They were moved on Wednesday.
Sue Ellis, from the castle, said: “Rescuing them to be rehomed was quite a feat. One in particular did not want to be taken and proved quite elusive. “We are sad to lose them but cygnets have been injured or killed in the past trying to leave the moat.”
She said the cygnets had stayed at the castle longer this year than normal.
“Our male swan, Bill, didn’t seem to be as keen to chase the younger ones away this year,” she added.
Bill and his long-term companion Betty have lived on the moat for a number of years, bringing up many broods.
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