Swan rescued from Doncaster lake with fishing hook stuck in throat

A swan with a fishing hook stuck in their throat has been rescued from a Doncaster lake where a big litter clean-up took place earlier in the year.
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The swan was spotted at Martinwells Lake in New Edlington by a member of the public with fishing line hanging from their mouth.

RSPCA wildlife officer Sandra Dransfield said: “The swan didn’t have anything else wrong with them so naturally they didn’t want to be caught but we managed to get hold of them by tempting them with some food.

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“Luckily the swan hadn’t completely swallowed the hook so staff at Peak Vets managed to get it out and it hadn’t caused any damage.

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“The swan was given some medication and cleared for release which took place later that day.”

The swan is the first bird to need assistance at the lake since March when a dead coot and piles of angling litter and other rubbish was removed during a specially arranged litter pick there.

An RSPCA team used a motorboat to reach the island on the lake - a prime target for their litter pick - and collected enough litter to fill three black bin liners including hooks, lures, spinners, bait holders and fishing line, as well as empty bread bags, plastic and glass bottles, drink cans, crisp packets and a bicycle tyre.

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Sandra added: “We strongly urge those who enjoy fishing to be extra cautious to make sure nothing is left behind. Most anglers are very responsible when disposing of their litter, but it only takes one careless person to endanger the life of an animal.

“If members of the public see discarded litter we would encourage them to pick it up and put it in the bin. Their action could save an animal’s life.”

Dr Emily Smith, the Angling Trust’s Environment Manager said: "Anglers take the issue of litter extremely seriously and the vast majority are responsible custodians of our countryside and coasts.

“We run several initiatives to educate the small minority, working with our network of over 2,200 clubs, fisheries and trade members to promote angling club litter clean ups, in which thousands of anglers take part across the country. Our Take 5 Campaign encourages anglers to collect five pieces of (non-angling related) litter when packing their gear away. We are also supporting the Anglers' National Line Recycling Scheme, a new enterprise encouraging anglers to recycle used fishing line to minimise the amount of fishing line that is sent to landfill.”

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