Born free!

A beautiful Mute Swan rescued by the OPP from the Queen Elizabeth Way highway has been released back in Lake Ontario after being cared for by a wildlife refuge.

The OPP in Burlington on October 8 tweeted that an officer had rescued an injured swan from the lanes of the QEW and wrote that the bird was fortunately expected to make a full recovery.

The swan was taken to Hobbitstee Wildlife Refuge, an all-volunteer organization that cares for sick, injured, orphaned or displaced native Ontario wildlife.

The bird became big news and the OPP reported the swan was doing much better after being taken to Hobbitstee. They said it was expected to be released back into the wild sometime in the following week.

Hobbitstee WR posted a video of the swan being released back into Lake Ontario on October 16 after making a full recovery, and it’s as heartwarming as one would imagine.

“The swan rescued of the QEW by the @OPP_News has been released back to Lake Ontario to return to his life in the wild,” they wrote.

“He was released close to where he was found in what we hope is familiar surroundings allowing him to reunite with a potential mate.”

The video shows the bird cautiously walking around the shore and examining his surroundings before getting in the water and swimming off into the distance.

Police believe the big bird may have crashed into something or become caught in the slipstream of a passing tractor trailer and been blown off course and ended up on the highway.

The bird suffered some minor “road rash, scrapes and bruising on one wing,” police say.