Published: June 14, 2010
BARB and Secret World team up to retrieve struggling cygnets

Wildlife rescuers called on the help of Burnham-On-Sea's BARB rescue boat crew to help retrieve a family of cygnets on the Bridgwater Canal at the weekend.

East Huntspill's Secret World contacted BARB at 8.45pm on Saturday evening (June 12th) after its team had tried unsuccessfully to reach the cygnets from the banks of the canal.

The rescue boat was taken by road from Burnham to Bridgwater and then launched onto the canal in the twilight.

Secret World's Graeme Thompson told Burnham-On-Sea.com: "The young birds had got separated from their parents and were in a distressed state. We'd tried unsuccessfully to reach them from the bank over several hours, so were very grateful for the help of the BARB boat crew."

A rescue boat and kayak were used to reach the young birds, which were captured with a net and taken away by Secret World to be safely released back onto the canal the following day.

RELATED LINKS:

BARB Web site