One of the oldest Icelandic whooper swans on record has been found in Pembrokeshire - having lived more than three times the average lifespan.

RSPCA Cymru was alerted after a member of the public found the male swan grounded underneath power lines in the Letterson area, with other swans circling above, after a suspected collision.

RSPCA animal rescue officer ARO Ellie West rushed him to Tinker's Hill Bird of Prey and Swan Rescue Centre in Amroth for immediate care, before the bird went on for veterinary examination.

"When I rushed to the aid of this swan, I was expecting a mute swan, which we commonly deal with - but was instead surprised to see a whooper swan, which is a much rarer sight,” said ARO West.

"Sadly, the poor thing was in quite a bad way after a collision with some power lines. Vets later found his injuries were so severe - including a fractured spine and ribs - that he had to be put to sleep; which was such a shame - but at least we can take some solace that we were able to bring his suffering to an end.”

The swan was wearing an Icelandic metal ring, an identifying ring placed around the legs of swans which help build a picture of their lives.

ARO West contacted the Icelandic Bird Ringing Centre, who confirmed that the swan was ‘very close to the oldest Icelandic whooper’, having first been ringed in 1996 at the age of only three.

The oldest Icelandic whooper on record is believed to be 30 years old - so only a year or so older than the veteran bird found in Pembrokeshire. The typical lifespan of a whooper swan is only nine years.

"It's so amazing to think this beautiful bird - one of the oldest Icelandic whooper swans on record - has been potentially migrating between Iceland and west Wales for decades,” said ARO West.

Whooper swans, an amber list species, usually visit the UK in winter. The swan's honking call is said to sound like an old-fashioned car horn.

Population estimates - confirmed by the Icelandic Bird Ringing Centre - suggest there are approximately 40,000 whooper swans wintering in the UK.

Svenja Auhage, from the Icelandic Bird Ringing Centre, added: "While it's so sad this whooper swan has now died, the sighting history shows that since the mid-1990s, this bird was very well travelled.

"Sightings have been made in Northern Ireland, Iceland, the Republic of Ireland and in Orkney in Scotland; before he was found in Pembrokeshire - 18 years on from the last logged sighting, in 2003.”

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