Peter Wright treated a seriously ill swan cygnet at Castle Howard during the latest episode of The Yorkshire Vet, admitting he feared the bird would die without sustenance. The final episode of the Channel 5 documentary series' 23rd series aired on Thursday (November 12), as the vets cared for various creatures across North Yorkshire.
Vets respond to multiple cases
During the instalment, the team helped an injured sparrowhawk and a lamb, while Julian Norton climbed aboard Yorkshire's dog bus, which previously attracted the attention of pop superstar Harry Styles. Peter also treated the struggling swan cygnet at Castle Howard.
The youngster caught the eye of groundskeeper Ray, who said: "It's actually been sat there now for three days. Don't know if it's unwell, or if it's just lost its family. It's not flapping its wings, just basically feeling really lethargic."
Concern for the swan's health
Swans are communal birds in the winter, to help protect themselves from predators and find food, but this swan was all on its own. "It could be exhausted, especially when we don't know where it's come from," Peter noted, before taking a closer look at the poorly bird.
"It's very concerning. His behaviour is so much out of character. He does look as if he's not particularly interested in life," he said. Peter then noted that catching the swan was "far too easy", as worried visitor Karen added: "So, it's not right, you mean."
"A bird like this should be up and away," Peter went on, before noticing discharge coming out of the swan's nostril. The vet suspected that an infection or injury had caused the creature's exhaustion.
Treatment and recovery
"This bird is very weak, very weak," he said. "I don't think he's been feeding at all. The problem is, I've [got] nothing to give him." A worried Peter admitted: "I think if this bird doesn't get some sustenance, then we're going to lose him. A predator will come along [and] he'll just die."
While Peter administered antibiotics, Karen and Ray later cooked some organic food, which the swan quickly began eating. Karen was left emotional as the swan ate the food, saying: "Aw, look, he's really hungry! I could cry. That's made my day."
"He's not out of the woods. But certainly, the fact that he's eaten has given him a massive boost, me a massive boost, and Karen and Ray a massive boost, as well," Peter added.
Positive update
The vet soon returned to Castle Howard to see how the swan was getting on after its feed. Ray shared a positive update, saying: "We noticed that it had moved up to the lake edge... We left it be for that night and the following day, or the morning, I came up and had a look, and it was gone. You could see where it had made its way through the reeds."
Peter concluded: "That sounds very encouraging! I think this swan was possibly migrating, because it wasn't a local... Reading between the lines and piecing things together, I think we've had a happy ending." The Yorkshire Vet is available to stream on Channel 5.
