Delayed departure


The trumpeter swan, which came to us in November with broken toes, has healed and is ready for release. The plan was to release him in December near Lake Mattamuskeet where the northern swans spend the winter. The release date fell during North Carolina’s swan hunting season, so he’ll stay at the rehab center until February.
It’s illegal to hunt trumpeter swans. There are fewer than 10,000 of them in the world. But it’s perfectly legal to hunt tundra swans, which winter in the same area. North Carolina issues 5,000 swan hunting permits a year. About 2,300 birds are killed during the season.
Problem is, it’s difficult to tell the difference between tundra swans and trumpeter swans, especially at a distance.
We want to give the trumpeter swan every chance of survival. That means remaining in captivity for a few extra weeks.