Conservationist Sacha Dench embarked on an epic migration of 7,000 km from the Russian Arctic to the UK to save a swan
Crossing arctic tundra, enduring injuries, braving freezing temperatures and battling through snow and thunderstorms. It all sounds like it’s from an action movie, but this is the reality conservationist Sacha Dench faced as she embarked on a mission spanning 7,000 kilometres to save a swan.
Journeying from the Russian Arctic to the UK, Dench followed the migratory path that Bewick’s swans make every year. Between 1995 and 2010, the number of swans making the migration plummeted by more than one third – from 29,000 to just 18,000.
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By joining the Bewick’s on their migration, Sacha and the expedition team were able to see for themselves just why swans are unable to survive the journey.
The journey led the team to travel across numerous countries, flying a paramotor at altitudes as low as 100 metres on a voyage lasting three months. The Bewick’s progress was continually tracked by the team through Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Germany, Denmark, Netherlands, Belgium and France.
When Sacha completed the flight from the French coast to England, she became the first woman to successfully cross the English Channel by paramotor.
Flight of the Swans has been entered into the group category of the 2025 Better World Video Awards. Find out more about how you can enter here. The individual category prize this year is a 7-night stay in Chiang Mai, courtesy of our partner, Aggressor Adventures; while our group winner will receive a £3,000 advertising package with Geographical.
