Swan hit by train rescued by rail staff


Rescuer Jorge, a rail incident officer at South Western Railway, has been described as a "wildlife whisperer"

A swan had a lucky escape thanks to rail staff who rescued the bird after it was hit by a train.

The animal caused minor delays for commuters travelling on the Wraysbury line between Windsor and London Waterloo on Thursday morning.

Staff from Network Rail Wessex and South Western Railway (SWR) were on hand to rescue the injured bird from the tracks before transporting him to a nearby animal centre.

Suffering a broken wing and a leg injury, the swan is being cared for by specialist vets at the Swan Sanctuary in Shepperton.

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"The Network Rail team were amazing, as always," a statement from the Swan Sanctuary said. "He has been given pain relief and, unfortunately, has a broken wing which has now been strapped, along with an injury to his leg. He'll be under close observation over the coming days, and may require surgery once he's stable."

The sanctuary added it hosts training for staff at Network Rail and the Highways Agency so they are equipped to save animals that wander on to the roads and tracks.


The swan suffered a broken wing and a leg injury after being hit by a train

A mobile operations manager (MOM) from SWR, dubbed a "wildlife whisperer", lifted the bird from the track. In a post on social media, SWR wrote: "Today's unexpected rail drama: a rogue swan causing absolute chaos on the Wraysbury line. Enter Jorge the MOM — part incident officer, part wildlife whisperer — who successfully negotiated the bird's peaceful surrender."


Specialist vets quickly tended to the swan's injuries