Father swan flaps at kayak as Porter frees hooked cygnet in three minutes

Graham Porter scooped an entangled cygnet into his lap from a kayak near Godmanchester, England, on October 2 while its father swan flapped and hissed at him.

An angler had called the Waterfowl Sanctuary, horrified the young bird was hooked. He tried wading out himself but the protective father drove him back, so Porter reached the family within 30 minutes. The Waterfowl Sanctuary posted the rescue to YouTube, where it carries 114,837 likes.

“We were called by the angler who was horrified that the cygnet had become hooked and entangled,” the sanctuary said. “He went out in waders to try and free the baby swan, but the dad would understandably attack him, so he found out about our charity, and we were on site within 30 minutes.”

Swans average a six-to-ten-foot wingspan, and the father flew straight at the kayak. “He’s protecting his baby that is hooked and wrapped with fishing line,” Porter said. He pulled the cygnet aboard as the long line still ran to the angler’s rod. “The angler called me when it took his bait. This long line connects to his rod.”

Porter paddled into a patch of sunlight for a clearer view. “A hook is in his bill, which I clamp whilst I untangle the line.” The father circled and hissed the whole time. The job took about three minutes. Once free, the cygnet swam straight back to its parents and siblings, quacking.

The clip drew over 12.7 million views and 7,000 comments. One viewer wrote, “Thank you for doing this and checking on them!” Another said, “If only we could tell animals when we are trying to help.” A third added, “Dad’s got a story of how he saved his son from the half-man half-boat baby snatcher.”