Goose found with dog chain around his neck after 'someone tried to take him for a WALK'

A goose has been found struggling to swim in the Rochdale Canal with a 4ft dog chain around his neck. The RSPCA believes someone had tried to take the unfortunate Canada goose for a walk before he was left in the water.

The poor bird was found in difficulty trying to swim along the canal in Middleton on Monday (March 18). He was seen dragging the chain, measuring more than 1.2 metres, behind him.

The chain was tightly attached to the base of the goose's neck by a self-tightening nylon collar. It's believed the lead was deliberately put onto the bird so he could be taken on a walk along the canal - in a stunt labelled 'irresponsible, cruel and foolhardy' by the RSPCA.

READ MORE: Couple pulled over on M62 after being reported 'lost in Manchester' for 10 HOURS

The chain's hefty weight had left the goose unable to swim or fly properly. By the time the RSPCA team arrived on the scene, he was tiring in the water, and the charity says that if he hadn't been found he could have become tangled - with fatal consequences.

Animal rescue officer Stephen Wickham, who saved the goose alongside his colleague Mark Buggie, said: “When we got the call we were initially told the goose had become tangled up in something, but when we arrived we could see it was actually a long piece of dog chain he was dragging along in the water behind him. He used what little energy he had left to swim away from us, but we managed to block his access using the raft at a lock gate a little further downstream and get him out of the water.

"We found two dog leads had been tied together and the collar around his neck was self-tightening. If he’d caught it on a branch or a piece of debris in the water he could have been fatally strangled.

"We got the chain