A MUTE swan had to be rescued by the RSPCA after crash-landing on the M48 motorway near Chepstow.

The animal welfare charity was called to the busy road on Wednesday, July 24 by Gwent Police after the swan was reported being in the middle of the road.

RSPCA Animal Rescue Officer (ARO) Sian Burton was soon on the scene and caught the young bird, who she described as ‘feisty’ and uninjured, before releasing him.

Sian found a place on the water away from other birds – and away from roads – near Caldicot Castle and Country Park to release the swan.

“I was very pleased to see him happily swim off and he’ll be free to return to where he came from - hopefully away from busy roads in future.

“The swan has pink feathers which suggests he has pink feathers syndrome. This is caused by fungus that can spread in the water from bread being fed to waterfowl .

“Hopefully he’ll be eating a natural diet from now on, and we urge members of the public to ensure they feed waterfowl and other wild birds nutritious food.

“The disorientated swan had been in the middle of the road in oncoming traffic, but when I arrived luckily the swan had moved to the hard shoulder.

“We think that as a juvenile swan he may have been moved on from where he was by other swans and then become lost and crash landed .

“Thankfully the police were on the scene and had lane closure in place.”

Water birds such as swans and geese can sometimes confuse roads or car parks for rivers or lakes while flying overhead and can then come in to land on a hard surface, which can cause injury. 

The charity asks people to help by taking small, sick and injured wildlife to the vets or wildlife rehabilitators directly, so they can get the care they need more quickly.

For more information on what to do if you find a larger wild animal in distress please visit https://www.rspca.org.uk/adviceandwelfare/wildlife/injured.