Baby swans learn how to swim with help from fluffy toy

For these cygnets learning to swim doesn’t come as naturally as it should do so staff at a wildlife park have decided to use a fluffy toy in order to help them.

Born in an incubator to protect them from predators, they were given a lesson with a toy swan – designed to mimic their mother – at their home Birdland, in Bourton-on-the-Water, Gloucestershire.

Take the plunge: A couple of birds get their feet wet (Picture: BNPS)

The cygnets were taught some of the skills they would need to survive once they were released into the wildlife park.

Staff used the toy swan to get the young birds into a pool in order to help them build their confidence of being in water.

The birds are being prepared for life in the wildlife park (Picture: BPNS)

Birdland spokesman Alistair Keen said the cygnets had been reared in a safe environment after previous eggs had been taken by predators.

‘The cygnets spend most of their time in our bird hospital under heat lamps but they do get time every day in a small paddling pool so they can get used to water,’ he said.

‘We are gradually increasing the time they spend outside and as they get bigger we will give them access to larger areas of water within the park.’