A “huge” swan had to be rescued by five firefighters after crashing into telephone wires.
The animal was found tangled 15ft up in cables along Hamilton Drive in Edinburgh just after ten o’clock.
Firefighters struggled for 35 minutes to free the distressed animal, while concerned residents ushered their children inside.
The bird suffered a suspected broken wing after trying to free itself, and is now being cared for at the city’s Royal Dick School of Veterinary Studies.
A resident who witnessed the action said: “It was absolutely huge and all tangled up in the wires.
“I had given it some bread earlier on that day and hadn’t seen it for a while. A fire engine turned up and I suddenly realised it was hanging from the telephone wires.
“It was really distressing – I couldn’t watch. I told my kids to go inside because I didn’t want them to see what was happening.
“Swans are very territorial and it could have just been flying around when it got caught. It was horrible to see – it was just hanging there.”
A Scottish SPCA warden attended the scene, but had to call the Scottish Fire and Rescue service for help.
Animal rescue officer Steph Grant said: “The swan had become caught in telephone wires above an Edinburgh garden.
“It was around 15ft up and in a great deal of distress as one of the wires had wrapped around its wing.
“As it was wet last night the swan may have been confused and thought it was near a pond.
“I called the fire and rescue service for assistance and would like to thank them for all their help.
“They were fantastic throughout the rescue and were able to reach the swan using a ladder and bring it down to safety.
“The swan is now in the care of a local vets where x-rays will be carried out.”
“We have done an X-ray and luckily he hasn’t had any fractures or joint problems, just some bruising and muscle damage from all the thrashing around.
The swan has been named Alexander after the Scottish-born scientist and inventor of the telephone, Alexander Graham Bell.
