'Blood covered' swan causes concern on Milton Keynes lake - but nothing prepared rescuers for the surprise they were met with

They dropped everything to travel to the scene and were horrified to see the state of the poor bird.

Almost his entire back and wings were stained red, as though he had been badly injured in an attack.

“One of us fed him while I crept up behind to grab him… But straight away I could smell something strange,” said MK Swan Rescue CIC founder Allie Humphries.

"It was chilli sauce...I could smell chilli.

“Seriously, we went from fearing a dog attack to wondering why on earth anyone would cover a swan in chilli sauce!”

The team cleaned the bird up as best as they could, using their own tee shirts as cloths, before returning him to the lake.

“He’s going to be stained for a while… It just makes no sense as to why someone would I do this,” said Allie.

MK Swan Rescue is a non-profit Community Interest company that looks after waterfowl all over the city. Members carry out regular checks to identify and swiftly address any problems and work in partnership with vets and specialists to help nurse sick or injured specimens back to health,

Bird that can no longer live on the lake for any reason are taken to wildlife sanctuaries.

The group also relies upon the eyes of the community to report signs of distress or danger among waterfowl. You can contact them here.