Stanley Park swan rescued by RSPCA

The swan in Stanley Park had a fishing hook embedded in his mouth

Officers were called to Stanley Park on Sunday after concerned dog walkers noticed a swan with a fishing hook with a weight attached hanging from its mouth.

RSPCA inspector Carl Larsson said: “We got a call about the swan on Friday and tried to catch it both that day and on the Saturday, and eventually we had to get the boat out.

“He was very wary of us and didn’t realise we were trying to help him, and wouldn’t come near.

“It had a large hook in its mouth with a fishing weight hanging from it, obviously left behind by some irresponsible angler.

“It was weighing its head down and it was struggling to eat.

“We were a bit concerned because we didn’t know how deep the hook was in the swan’s throat. Luckily it was just in the lip of the mouth, so it was quite easy to remove with a pair of pliers.”

Officers were then called to Green Dick’s Lane in Pilling, where a pair of swans had flown into power cables, killing one and injuring the other.

The survivng swan was taken to Vets 4 Pets Lytham on St Andrew’s Road North.

Another swan was picked up after becoming confused and wandering into the road on Progress Way, Marton.

Carl said: “We go months without any swan jobs so to get three in one day is very unusual.

“They’re really quite nice. There’s a lot of myths about how they can break your arm, but once you get a hold of them they’re quite docile and won’t go for you like geese do.

“Sometimes swans do get confused and they think roads are waterways when it’s a bit wet, so you have to watch out for them.

“We would also ask any anglers who go fishing not to leave anything behind that animals could swallow.”