A beloved swan will be rehomed after being hit by a car, just days after his mate was killed in an accident.
Charlie the swan, and his partner Cassandra, became popular figures in Devizes after living on The Crammer near the town centre for some time.
But on February 24 the RSPCA confirmed Cassandra had died after she reportedly mistook the nearby road for water and crash landed.
Residents say Charlie has since been visibly “distressed”, walking across Estcourt Street and crying for his mate.
Less than a week after the incident, Charlie was hit by a car and suffered injuries to his feet and one of his wings.
Specialist charity Swan Support has now taken him into their care and will rehome him once he recovers.
Wendy Hermon, who has worked for the charity for 30 years, said: “Our aim was to collect him completely fit and well to prevent him from having any accidents, but unfortunately, he got himself into a bit of bother.
“He will recover and is on antibiotics at the moment.
“Once the swelling has gone down, we will relocate him, but we don’t know where yet.”
Members of the community had raised concerns over Charlie’s safety following Cassandra’s death and some rallied around to protect him.
One of these residents was 74-year-old Sally Noseda, who started the Facebook group Friends of The Crammer.
She said: “We ended up with teams of people trying to keep an eye on him.
“We couldn’t stop him from looking for her, but we needed to stop the traffic and keep him safe.”
Ms Noseda, who has lived in the area for six years, said Charlie was left heartbroken after Cassandra’s death.
She added: “It was really devastating. She dragged herself up onto the grass next to Charlie, but she died.
“They have quite a similar grieving process to us, and we all knew that this was going to be a difficult time for him.
“He didn’t rest. He was just wandering around all the time with his head up looking for her, calling out for her and doing a little cry.”
But Ms Hermon still believes a happy ending is possible for Charlie.
She added: “It happens quite often. It is like humans; some get over it quite quick and others never get over it. The bond between them was very strong.
“There will be females where we send him, so I think he definitely has hope of finding another mate.”
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here