When the citizens of Barron County’s Cumberland first spotted the large bird just standing on the ice, they knew who to call – DNR Conservation Warden Phil Dorn. Dorn says some of the citizens concerned about the injured bird thought it was a goose. Out on calls already that January day, he kept his eyes peeled for a goose. But, it wasn’t a goose. Then, he saw it. Yes, it was big, but it wasn’t a goose. “I found it standing on the ice on the little lake in downtown Cumberland,” Dorn said of the highly unusual sight of a trumpeter swan parked on the ice the afternoon of Friday, January 8. “This bird may have just kept swimming down the chain of lakes until he got to Beaver Dam Lake – the last lake to freeze over in Barron County.” Whatever the reason, Dorn knew he had to do his best swan shuffle to get it, so he could help it. Thinking ahead of the worst possible scenario – as if running on ice in work boots is not bad enough — He got the assistance of a Cumberland police officer and asked him to be positioned on the road nearby. That was in case the bird opted for a sudden directional change, resulting in the mad dash into traffic. “But, I got it to run the other way,” Dorn said, meaning away from the road. The bird attempted to fly but it just couldn’t lift itself. “It just got tired right away. It likely wasn’t getting great nutrition and it was cold.” Dorn was able to gently grab the big bird, described by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as a majestic bird known as the largest swan in the world and the largest waterfowl in North America. A local volunteer offered to drive the injured swan to the Wildlife Rehabilitation Center of Minnesota in the Minneapolis-St. Paul metropolitan area. The center last year cared for a record of nearly 12,000 birds, reptiles and mammals from Minnesota and Wisconsin. Communications Director Tami Vogel says that’s a leap of 30 percent from 2014 for the center which operates on private funds and donations. The swan rescued in Cumberland joined 6 other such majestic swans in this animal hospital in neighboring Minnesota. Once in the care of these wildlife experts, the swan was examined and the veterinarians and rehabilitators learned why this bird hadn’t left beautiful Cumberland long ago. “It’s the primary feathers that are in such bad shape,” Vogel said. And that’s why it couldn’t fly. Plus, the bird has open wounds and frostbite on its feet. As the swan heals, the veterinarians will determine the best treatment to get this swan back doing swan-like things in the wild. For now, Vogel reports the swan is healing, thanks to concerned citizens, Warden Phil and the pros at the Wildlife Rehabilitation Center of Minnesota.
Post comments (0)