AN injured swan which may have been shot is currently in the care of a rescue centre thanks to the efforts of a city couple and volunteers.
The swan was discovered by Emily Willetts while on her dog walk who alerted her husband Paul which led to a dramatic rescue from Bilford Bottom Lock No 7 in Perdiswell.
Mr Willetts eventually took to the waters of the Worcester and Birmingham Canal to gently usher the injured swan towards John Stewart from Wychbold Swan Rescue and Marilyn McCarthy from Swan Food Project.
The rescue took place today (Tuesday) at about 11am.
Mr Willetts said: "My wife, Emily, was walking our dog down the canal and noticed a swan with blood down its back and was about to call Swan Rescue when she noticed the team trying to catch the swan further towards the lock.
"Emily waited there for a while with the dog trying to help usher the swan down the canal towards the lock to try and enclose it so John Stewart and Marilyn McCarthy could capture it.
"The swan was too startled and not interested in food and had gravitated towards the opposite bank so Emily called me knowing we have an inflatable dinghy.
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"We pumped it up and I went out on the dinghy to usher the swan towards the lock and he was safely captured by John and Marilyn and was in a very bad way.
"It looked as though he had been shot with an air rifle to the back of the head and to its wing and John was unable to say if he would make it.
"We were really saddened to hear that this isn’t the first time that this has happened on this stretch of canal with another swan having been shot in the beak only last year."
In January, a defenceless swan was shot in its side and beak and left severely injured near the canal in Bilford Road.
Wychbold Swan Rescue saved the animal which had severe injuries after it was shot twice by a BB gun.
At the time, volunteer John Stewart said he was "mindblown" that people seek pleasure from hurting animals but admitted it is not surprising after dealing with many similar cases.
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