Swan rescued by firefighters after apparently confusing roof of building with a lake

A slightly confused swan ended up on a roof in Belfast, Northern Ireland, on Monday evening and had to be rescued by the Fire Service. The lost swan was spotted on the five-storey building on Arthur Street.



It is thought she may have mistaken the roof for a lake following a heavy shower and, once landed, didn't have enough runway to take off again. Thankfully, Debbie 'Doolittle' Nelson, who has been rescuing native wildlife in Northern Ireland since 1984, was on hand to save the distressed animal from coming to any harm.





Ms Nelson, who helped co-ordinate the operation, said the female bird may have mistaken the slate-grey roof for a lake. The fire service brought the bird back down to earth several hours later. The fire service do not usually get involved in animal rescues, said Ms Nelson, but agreed to help because of the possible risk to public safety.





A rescue operation was planned for later that evening after shops had closed and the street was quieter. "It took about an hour to get on the roof," said Ms Nelson. "When we got up there, it was up against a wall resting. It was a pretty quick catch, we were able to get her into the net quite fast." In tribute to the fire service's efforts, Ms Nelson has called the swan Andi, after the individual who helped rescue the bird. After taking the swan in for the night, Ms Nelson released the bird on Tuesday.