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A tricky swan had to be rescued with the assistance of firefighters after a fishing hook became embedded in its beak.
The RSCPA was contacted by a member of the public who spotted the bird's plight at a lake near the The Wharf Pub in Crossways Boulevard, Dartford .
Watch as swan is released after rescue mission to retrieve hook from its beak. Video: RSPCA
Animal charity workers arrived on Thursday to find the swan's beak had been pierced by the hook which was dangling from its mouth.
Initial attempts to catch the injured bird proved unsuccessful and a boat and rescue team from the Kent Fire and Rescue Service was called to assist RSPCA animal collection officer Mat Hawkins.
Inspector Rosie Russon said: “This rescue was proving tricky as although hooked through the beak, the swan was still very mobile so proved hard to catch.
“My colleague Mat got into the paddle boat with the fire services and we had several attempts trying to herd the bird gently towards me on the bank.
"Finally, the fireman entered the water and between the pair of us, we managed to net the bird and bring her to shore.
"The barb was cut away and the hook removed from the beak, as well as the line and the weight.
“Thankfully, the injury was only superficial and the swan could be released and returned to its mate.”
Adrian Stillwell-Cox, group manager for specialist skills at KFRS said: “Working with the RSPCA, a crew from our animal rescue unit used a boat and specialist rescue equipment to capture the distressed swan and remove a fishing hook from its bill.
“The Animal Rescue Unit is an important part of KFRS, which has a variety of specialist equipment to deal with a range of incidents involving animals."
"We’re pleased on this occasion the swan wasn’t badly injured and was able to return to the water.”
RSPCA welfare officers checked over the female bird and found it had sustained an old hook injury in the webbing of her right foot where she had been previously caught in fishing litter.
After a health check the bird was then safely released back into the water to return to her mate.
But Rosie said the incident is a timely reminder of the dangers discarded fishing litter can have on wildlife and has urged anglers to dispose of equipment properly.
The RSPCA received 393 calls about fishing litter across England and Wales in the first seven months of the year, with 97% of those calls made between May and July.
Rosie added: “This is a reminder of how damaging discarded fishing litter can be for wildlife.
"The majority of anglers do dispose of their litter properly and it is frustrating that those who don’t possibly don’t realise how dangerous it is to animals.”
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