Firefighters rushed to rescue a swan that was stuck in a frozen Connecticut lake this week after a spell of freezing temperatures in the area, according to reports.
The Norwalk Fire Department suited up in cold-water rescue gear and used ropes to carefully move onto the frozen Norwalk River on Tuesday and locate the trapped feathered friend.
Rescuers soon learned that the poor swan’s feet were frozen into the ice — and spent half an hour chipping away at the frozen lake to finally free the bird.
Photos showed the elegant creature being strapped onto a rescue float and swaddled in a blanket before it was pulled to shore and hoisted up a fence to safety.
It is not immediately clear how long the swan had been trapped in the ice, and rescuers were initially concerned that the bird had died.
But after approaching the scene, firefighters quickly realized the swan was alive and grateful for some help out of the bone-chilling lake.
“It was curled up, probably trying to warm itself or keep itself warm, but I did see some movement, so at that point, I was a little optimistic that we can have a good outcome,” Norwalk Fire Department Chief Jonathan Maggio told WABC.
The swan was “just happy to be out of the ice,” Maggio added.
The bird was taken to a veterinarian center and is expected to make a full recovery. Once it regains strength, the swan will be properly released into the wild.
With Post wires
