AN animal lover uses an Ikea bag to carry a swan back to his mate.
Carly Ahlen found Snowflake by the side of a road earlier this month.
She nursed him back to health in Dartford, Kent, before eventually releasing him.
Carly, a wildlife charity boss, said: “Suddenly he started to seemingly dance with one of the female swans and head off into the sunset for happiness with her.”
Today swans are protected by law from being harmed, and the royal family have stopped eating them at banquets.
But historic laws are still in force.
Read more on swans
Two ancient City of London livery companies have ownership rights – the Worshipful Company of Vintners and the Worshipful Company of Dyers.
Every July the traditional swan upping ceremony takes place on the Thames.
Swan uppers working from skiffs haul swans and cygnets from the water, check their health and mark them with rings.
Ownership follows parental lines – the offspring of swans owned by one of the livery companies are also deemed to be their property.
All unmarked mute swans are the property of the Crown.
This applies to the whole of Britain – although it is not enforced in practice.
According to the Royal Family’s website: “The Queen retains the right to claim ownership of any unmarked mute swan swimming in open waters, but this right is mainly exercised on certain stretches of the River Thames.”
