It’s not unusual to find stray car parts or construction items on the shoulder of the A1, one of the UK’s busiest roadways, from time to time. But last week, a few drivers were shocked to discover that a white object on the side of the highway wasn’t part of a vehicle or construction project: It was feathered and breathing.
Instead of driving past the poor, helpless being without stopping, the Good Samaritans reached out to The Waterfowl Sanctuary (TWS), who rushed to the highway to help. When rescuer Graham Porter arrived, he saw various construction materials and realized one was not like the rest.
“I saw the white sandbags and thought it was one of these until an alarming double-take made me [realize] there was our friend,” TWS wrote on Facebook. “She had been there for at least 1.5 hours due to rush hour traffic.”
Upon closer inspection, the Porter realized that one of the sandbags was actually a cygnet, or young swan, who was alive but petrified.
“She was completely still,” Porter told The Dodo.
Porter was relieved to see that the swan was alive, but she was still far from his reach on the other side of the highway. Despite the cars speeding past, the rescuer refused to give up.
“A gap in the traffic allowed me to run across and hold her to the curb with my net whilst the next vehicles went passed before picking her up, quickly ascertaining her condition before carrying her back to the car,” TWS wrote.
After crossing the multi-lane highway to reach the swan, Porter scooped her up and made the treacherous journey back to his car. Thankfully, she didn’t appear to be injured, just shocked.
“I’m hoping she’s simply sore from a road landing and was too [traumatized] by the traffic to move,” TWS wrote.
