A trapped swan was rescued after being chased into a culvert by an angry rival.
The bird fled into the drain at the end of a canal in Ulverston, Cumbria, after a territorial dispute with a rival male – known as “the hissing one.”
But the panicked bird, which locals have named Sidney, could only fit its neck through the culvert’s small exit point, leaving it trapped as it peered out over the River Leven estuary.
Caroline Simms, 63, who looks after swans in the area, came to Sidney’s rescue in a purple kayak.
Ms Simms told The Telegraph that Sidney, accompanied by a female swan, had fled from the other male into the very narrow drainpipe “for fear of their lives”.
“They were stuck in there like little sausages,” she said.
She paddled over to the pipe and dragged the swans out by the tail, before climbing up a ladder with the animals tucked under one arm.
“The hardest part was to carry a swan in one arm and go up a ladder with the other,” Ms Simms said. “The swans were very compliant but I don’t know how I did it. I think it was just adrenaline.
“We had the same thing happen last year and a few males lost their lives in the pipes – so I was acutely aware that time was of the essence.”
Ms Simms said she had looked after swans in the area for 12 years and had pulled off “at least a hundred” rescues.
Lesley Lyons, landlady of the Bay Horse Hotel and Restaurant which overlooks the canal, said Ms Simms had acted “without hesitation”.
“She’s done a few things like this because the swans can be a bit daft sometimes,” she said.
“I know it’s not easy to help because I’ve picked up a swan and they weigh a tonne.
“I know she buys the swan feed out of her own money and we’re hoping that after this people on Facebook will help out,” she added.