There are few worse places for a swan to get stuck than in St John’s College, but that worst case scenario came true for John the Swan, as he found himself lodged in a drainpipe at the Old Library this week.

Fellows at John’s are said to be the only people outside of the Royal Family who are legally allowed to eat swan. However, John the Swan, who was named after the college by his rescuers, escaped this grisly fate when he was rescued by firefighters.

The juvenile swan was spotted by students working in the library, who reported the situation to porters and subsequently the fire brigade and RSPCA.

One firefighter supported the operation from the grounds of the Master’s Lodge, while three firefighters crawled through the loft space at the top of Second Court to reach the roof of the Old Library.

The swan was placed in a “swan bag” and lowered to the ground on a pulley system. The swan was checked by the RSPCA before being released back into the River Cam unharmed.

Swans appear to be particularly active in Cambridge recently, with Camfess reporting a sighting of a swan that “showed up to pres” at Murray Edwards College earlier this week. It is unclear whether the Medwards intruder was in fact the famous John the Swan.

Head porter Steve Poppitt said: “The trapped cygnet was given time to see if it would be able to free itself but when it became clear that it was not able to get out, we contacted the RSPCA and an animal rescue officer arrived on scene on Friday afternoon with the fire service.”

Firefighter Sam Cornwell said: “Animals are unpredictable which means that rescuing them can be challenging but this one went very smoothly. It is easier to get a swan back in the river where it belongs than getting a cow out of the river where it doesn’t belong.”

Naomi Sadoff, an animal rescue officer from Cambridgeshire and Norfolk RSPCA, said: "He looked in excellent health considering his adventure and his wings looked fine. Cygnets tend to stay with their parents for around six months and then they are supposed to literally fly the nest. It seems to be the season for swan rescues as I've been to help with several recently, but none of them have got themselves into such a tight spot as this one."

Previously, Cambridge has suffered from the terrifying rule of a swan called ‘Mr Asbo’, who was known for attacking rowers. ‘Mr Asbo’, whose other nicknames included ‘Stalin’, was reportedly relocated due to fears that he could cause a fatality.