Once upon a time, there was a Trumpeter Swan who could not fly. She was living life as best she could on Lake Lucille in Wasilla, while the community watched after her and worried about her.
Caring residents contacted Bird Treatment and Learning Center (Bird TLC) and Alaska WildBird in Houston, AK, asking what either rehabilitation facility could do to help this swan. Alaska WildBird agreed to try to capture the swan, and Bird TLC agreed to take the swan in and assess her situation.
For better or worse, the swan had become habituated to people, so she was easy to lure into a garage with food. Alaska WildBird placed her in a kennel and transported her to Bird TLC, where Dr. Karen Higgs, Avian Care Director and Veterinarian, examined her. Dr. Higgs found that her left wing had been broken and fused in place, preventing her from flying.
We settled the swan into the outdoor waterfowl area, and staff and volunteers began the daily tasks of caring for her. Meanwhile, a search for placement was launched.
Alaska WildBird knew of a facility in Washington that was interested in a male swan as a companion to their female. However, biologists with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G) determined that the swan was a second-year female. So, the search continued.
Tasha DiMarzio, Fish and Wildlife Biologist with ADF&G contacted Tiffany Mayo, Area Lead Hospital Keeper and Trumpeter Swan SSP Coordinator with Cleveland Metroparks Zoo, hoping Tiffany could help find a permanent home for the swan.
In the meantime, volunteers at Bird TLC discovered that "Lady Swan," as they called her, was lonely. Because she enjoyed the company of humans, they spent as much time with her as possible and placed a mirror in her enclosure so she could see "another" swan when she had to be left alone.
On October 12, a month after Lady Swan arrived at Bird TLC, placement was found. Shane Good, Senior Director at the Akron Zoo, said they would be thrilled to give the swan a home.
Bird TLC would transfer Lady Swan to Lake Erie Nature and Science Center (LENSC) in Bay Village, OH, another rehabilitation facility to expedite the process. From there, she would move to the Akron Zoo after all in-state paperwork was completed. Two Bird TLC supporters stepped in with a generous donation to cover transport costs.
We booked Lady Swan on an Alaska Airlines cargo flight to Cleveland, OH. The poor swan had to fly a red-eye - her flight left at 2:55 am! And poor Dr. Karen had to be at the clinic at 10 pm to kennel Lady Swan and drive her to the airport. Bird TLC's Rehabilitation Assistant, Katie Thorman, would meet up with Lady Swan at the Cleveland airport.
An Ohio native, Katie had family nearby, so she enlisted her mother to meet her and the swan at the airport and drive them to the LENSC. While en route, her mother kept saying, "I can't believe I have a swan in my car!" Thanks to Katie's mom, Lady Swan arrived safely at LENSC, the first stop on her way to her new home at Akron Zoo.
Thank you to everyone involved in Lady Swan's story for caring about her and helping her find her new home.
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Photos and video by Bird TLC volunteer, R. Liu