A man from Leigh has been celebrated as a wildlife hero after jumping into a fishing lake to save a goose in peril. Jonty Murphy leapt into the water at Sycamore Fishery in Golborne after the RSPCA told the bystanders they were unable to come out for four hours.
The fishery owner was unavailable and there was no boat to be found which led to the 31-year-old to take action into his own hands. Fully clothed, the experienced fisherman got into the water, acclimatised to the temperature, and retrieved the animal in distress.
Unfortunately, the goose died shortly after being rescued on Saturday (June 11).
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“I’ve fished practically all my life and I’d say 80 per cent of why I fish is how close you get to nature and the wildlife which you become close to over the years,” Mr Murphy said. “There’s instances where you will see animals in distress and it’s just instinct to try and help.
“Saturday was unfortunate, I saw a Canada goose in distress and we tried to get hold of the pond owner first in case he had a small boat, but he was unavailable at the time.
"So I messaged around to try and get one and couldn’t. I knew I had to at least try myself.
“It is just upsetting that I was a little too late because when I entered the water for a minute just to get used to the water temperature I could see it was still alive. Minutes later it had sadly perished.”
A Facebook post was shared by another fisherman, Hughie Naughton, who has praised the Leyther as a hero for his actions. The post gathered much attention from locals and Mr Murphy received heavy praise from dozens of people.
“This remarkable young guy came up to us and said he would swim out there and see what he could do,” Mr Naughton said. “Unfortunately the duck was dead when he got to it, but what an amazing selfless young man he is and I think he deserves a big shout out.”
According to the RSPCA website, if you find an injured wild animal, watch it first to see how badly hurt it is before deciding to take it to a local vet or wildlife rehabilitator. They also note that in the winter months, avian flu may be a problem, so please check their avian flu advice before taking any action.
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