By Isle of Wight Observer
Local charity, Friends of the Animals (FotA) has rescued a swan, which had become a victim of Storm Ciaran.
The charity HQ on Riverway, in Newport, received a phone call just before 11.30am yesterday (Thursday) from a lady who had arrived at Newport Rowing Club earlier that morning to find the swan in serious distress. The bird had been trapped under a jetty that had collapsed in the storm and was extremely waterlogged, covered in mud and dangerously cold.
She had already tried a number of other possible avenues for help, but after two hours nobody had arrived. Although she wasn’t aware whether FotA could help with wildlife, she tried them out of sheer desperation.
Within ten minutes two staff members arrived with a carrying container and made their way down to the water’s edge. The swan was very subdued and didn’t put up a struggle as it was wrapped in towels and placed into the container for the short journey to The People’s Vet in Watergate Road.
The veterinary staff immediately got to work drying the swan and using a heater to warm up the bird which was still very cold. As soon as the vet was available he carried out a thorough examination before administering a steroid injection for shock and an antibiotic.
The swan, now named Sam after the lady who found it, was recovering overnight with FotA. It is planned to release it this morning (Friday) as long as it has returned to full strength.