A swantastic release...

On the 5th of August, Steve at wildlife aid got an urgent call to a swan that had crash landed in a garden. On arriving, the swan was not in a good state, it was bleeding badly from its mouth. Steve quickly rushed it back to the hospital for some tlc.

Photo by: Steviepwildlife

After a lot of love and warmth the swan was quickly on the mend and was able to move from the intensive care unit up to the pond area. The swan made a rapid recovery and was well enough to be released after only a couple of days.

Photo by: LucyWildlifeAid

As my usual Monday shift came to an end Mike asked if me and Kerry would be able to release the swan on our way home, I was thrilled at the idea. Seeing these animals go back to the wild makes everything so worthwhile. We would also be releasing a goose at the same time. Darcy quickly gathered up both animals and I placed them into my car. Kerry remained on the back seat so she could support the swans neck on the way to the Thames. Both the swan and goose remained relatively calm throughout the journey, they have specially made 'swan bags' which help minimise movement and prevent stress. We arrived in West Molesey at Hurst park, a beautiful area where fishing is restricted to help protect these amazing birds.

Photo by: Kerry

The swan was first to be released. At first I struggled to get the bag off the swan, but with a little wiggle he was finally free. With a touch of encouragement he made his way into the river and slowly disappeared downstream. The goose was up next. Kerry did a fantastic job and the goose was quickly away. Almost immediately on the river he was greeted by 4 more geese who seemed overjoyed to be re-united with one another.


Its a fantastic feeling to be able to take part in the release of such beautiful animals, it just goes to show all the hard work at wildlife aid really pays off! You can read more about the release on Kerry's blog: Searching for the rainbow one colour at a time.