A CYGNET had to have two life saving operations due to an injury cause by illegal fishing in the pond of Caldicot Castle.

Swan Rescue South Wales received a call on July 23 to find a cygnet who had swallowed a large micro barbed fishing hook attached to a line. The line had been pulled and caused a 6cm tear in the cygnet’s oesophagus.

The rescue charity believes that the injury happened several days prior to finding the bird as a a large lump, caused by the accumulation of undigested food, had formed in the neck. The cygnet had also suffered a blow to the head and was taken by the Swan Sanctuary in Shepperton, Surrey for an emergency operation.

The cygnet has had to undergo a second operation and is thought to be doing fine.

Mike Booth, who manages the Caldicot Castle and Countryside Park site, said: “The injured swan was picked up and cared for by the swan sanctuary in Magor and taken to London for treatment so the local police or RSPCA have had no involvement in this incident. Apparently, the swan was operated upon successfully and we are awaiting an update on its progress.

“We ask people to respect the wildlife in the area of the conservation pool. Consequently we do not allow fishing or swimming and we request people to keep their dogs on leads. It appears that someone has acted irresponsibly and as a result has caused suffering to the swan”.