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After 12 years in Woodstock, a pair of mute swans are headed back to Stratford, helping to boost the city’s herd that was recently decimated by the avian flu.
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The swans – then cygnets – were initially sent to Woodstock in 2012 as part of an ongoing initiative to control the overpopulation of Canada geese around Southside Park. The thinking was that territorial swans would deter some of the geese, which other municipalities have tried.
“For us, we gave it a really solid effort and it wasn’t successful,” said Grant Drygas, Woodstock’s supervisor of forestry and parks. “We understand there are many who enjoy watching the pair of swans swimming in the pond, but ultimately they haven’t had the desired effect on the number of geese and may in fact be negatively impacting the natural ecosystem.
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“Communities in other parts of Ontario are now seeing a return of the native Trumpeter swans, so we’re hopeful that could happen here, too.”
Mute swans are not native to North America and are considered an invasive species. A migratory bird aviculture permit is required and staff must follow strict conditions under the permit, including clipping or pinioning of their wings to prevent escape.
While the swans spent their summers in and around Southside Pond, they were housed in a small, heated facility behind the city’s parks’ department office during the winter months. As one of the largest species of waterfowl in the world, mute swans can weigh up to 19 kilograms (more than 40 pounds) with a wingspan of roughly 2.4 meters (seven or eight feet). They also eat up to four kilograms of aquatic plants each day, often uprooting entire plants.
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The swans’ size and aggressive behavior additionally became a challenge for Woodstock parks staff responsible for moving them to their winter facility each fall. Because the swans resist being captured, the process poses a risk of injury to both the birds and staff.
“Fortunately, the City of Stratford is in a position to welcome our swans back into their (herd) so it seemed like the right time to make a change to the program,” Drygas said. “Stratford has a great program, and I know our swans will have a good home there.”
The swans will be safely caged and driven to Stratford on Friday morning with parks staff, Drygas said. They will join Stratford’s 10 swans in their winter headquarters on Morenz Drive.
Avian flu killed six swans in 2022, said Quin Mallot, Stratford’s parks, forestry and cemetery manager. The ideal number of swans on the Avon River is 15 to 20, Mallot added, and introducing another mated pair, bringing that total to three, increases the chances of cygnets this spring.
The new swans will join the rest of the herd on the river April 7 at 2 pm
“This is good timing,” Mallot said.
Swans have been synonymous with Stratford since 1918 when a man named JC Garden, who came from Michigan to work for the Grand Trunk railway shops, gifted a pair of mute swans. Garden loved watching the majestic birds swim on the water in his hometown, so donated the mated peer to Stratford’s board of parks management.
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