Canada: ‘I’ve Never Heard Of This Many Swans Being Found Dead In One Place And At One Time’

By Dan Dakin, St. Catharines Standard – “The Ministry of Natural Resources has been called in to investigate why 14 swans died over the weekend in Martindale Pond.

The swans were discovered by a rower near Henley Island, who called the Lincoln County Humane Society.

‘We picked up 13 dead swans Monday morning and another one was dropped off by a member of the public,’ said LCHS executive director Kevin Strooband. ‘This is very unusual for us to come across and because of that it raises flags. So we automatically investigate.’

Because of their orange and black beaks, the birds were most likely mute swans, which breed in the wild and are far more common than trumpeter or tundra swans.

Wild animals fall under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Natural Resources, so it will be their responsibility to follow up once they reopen after being closed Monday for Remembrance Day, Strooband said.

There’s no initial indication what may have happened to the birds, but an Ontario swan expert called the deaths ‘very unusual.’

‘I’ve never heard of this many swans being found dead in one place and at one time.’ said Harry Lumsden, an Aurora man who used to work for the Ministry of Natural Resources and is now involved with the Trumpeter Swan Restoration program.

He said because the deaths are so unusual, the ministry will likely send a few of the birds to the Canadian Cooperative Wildlife Health Centre at the University of Guelph for a post-mortem examination.” Read more.