A swan shot by thugs in Berkshire has been rescued and reunited with its mate.
Rescuers were called to a lake in Thatcham, Berkshire, on 22 April, 2020, where they found a female mute swan with blood pouring from its head.
The 8mm ball-shaped pellet struck the helpless pen an inch behind the eye, lodging in her skull.
The pellet lodged in the swan’s skull
Rescuers from the rehabilitation centre, Swan Support, took her to their headquarters in Slough. The following day she was moved to a nearby vet for emergency surgery to remove the pellet.
This was one of five attacks within the area in 10 days which left one swan dead and several others injured.
This female, known as a pen, was incubating four eggs at the time of the attack.
Ten days later, the pen was ready to be returned to the lake. Rescuers filmed the moment she was welcomed back by her loving partner.
After gingerly waddling into the shallow water, she brushes past the long green grass and gently paddles towards the cob.
The male lets off a loud snort before the pair begin a dance of love, gently turning their heads left and right in unison.
Swan Support operations director Wendy Hermon described the moment as “a beautiful thing to see – the best part of the job.”
She added: “It disgusts me that people can do this. We have been doing this job for 25 years but it still upsets us.
“What type of person would you have to be to use a helpless swan as target practice? What joy is there in that?”
It seems that school holidays often see an upsurge in these types of attacks.
Wendy explained: “Summer and obviously the coronavirus lockdown were really bad. I guess kids get bored. Christmas is bad as well, maybe kids have new air rifles or catapults as presents.”
Unsurprisingly, while the pen made a full recovery, her clutch of eggs died during the time she was away.