Swan family rescued after causing gridlock on busy Tallinn highway

On Friday morning, drivers on Laagna tee in Tallinn's Lasnamäe district encountered a confused pair of swans and their three cygnets wandering along the highway. The Emergency Response Centre received a notification shortly after 7 a.m., and video shared on social media showed the swans appearing confused as they wandered on the roadway while traffic came to a standstill.

Marko Rännel, shift supervisor at the Lasnamäe rescue station, said firefighters attended the scene, but as the swans were then beside the road and posed no danger, there was no need to try to catch them initially. He noted that the mother and father can be very aggressive and the mother is capable of looking after her cygnets.

However, that decision was reversed due to the risk of a collision. According to Rescue Board day shift supervisor Heiki Kurissoo, the assumption that the swans could be a handful proved correct, as the larger male swan became very aggressive. Using special long-handled grab bags, the rescuers first hooded the adult swans, which calmed them down, while the cygnets were picked up by hand and put in crates. Police and Border Guard Board personnel redirected traffic.

The wandering waterfowl family was taken in a police vehicle to the seashore close to Linnahall, a location where swans often congregate, and released. Kurissoo said that while firefighters have often helped swans, this was the first time in his experience an entire swan family had to be rescued. If you encounter wildlife on the road, you should call the state helpline on 1247.