A swan that was trapped in ice in the Toronto Harbour was rescued on Tuesday after crew members on board a Toronto fire boat spotted the bird.
Wearing full protective gear, two members on board the William Lyon Mackenzie fire boat climbed down from the vessel onto the frozen lake, where the swan was flapping its wings, trying to escape.
"This is the first time for me. We do get lots of call for (swans) but generally they get off on their own but this poor guy was really stuck," one of the rescuers told CTV Toronto.
Concerned that the swan -- a bird that is known to be aggressive when protecting itself -- would try to hurt the rescuers, a net was used to blanket the bird during the rescue.
"Before we got down there, he was flapping around already. We were a little concerned and some of the guys were warning us about it to begin with," another rescuer said.
With the help of a bucket of hot water, the pair of rescuers was able to eventually free the swan.
With a report from CTV Toronto's Austin Delaney
