Couple's quest to rescue injured baby swan in Ipswich canal

Frances Byam-Rowlands and husband Paul Rowlands first spotted the family of birds in Alderman Canal, between Bibb Way and Alderman Road, in early July on their regular walk.

In August, they noticed that one of the wings of one of the cygnets looked unusual.

When they researched into what could be causing the change, they discovered that it could be a condition called 'angel wing', a deformity in the joint that means the bird can no longer fly, which can lead to premature death.

Ms Byam-Rowlands said: "We noticed that some feathers were sticking out at a right angle. 

"Google came up with a condition called 'angel wing'. The advice is that the bird needs rescuing as it will not be able to fly, and if the cygnets cannot fledge the nest their parents may become aggressive and can do away with it.

"I have contacted the RSPCA half a dozen times and they have visited, but there has been no activity to rescue the poor creature.

"They say the family are swimming around quite happily and it would be too distressing for the cygnet to take it away, but surely no animal rescue is without stress as the animal does not know what you are doing.

"We have noticed its siblings starting to nibble at the damage. The whole experience has been quite shocking. Rescue is for the animal's best interest in the long term."

An RSPCA spokesperson said: "We went out to check on the cygnet and after a thorough assessment found that she was still able to feed, preen and take care of herself and at that point required no further intervention from the RSPCA.

"However, we are concerned by reports that the bird's condition has changed, and we're grateful to members of the public who have raised this. We are making arrangements for an officer to perform another check on the bird."