Saturday, November 16, 2019

The Mute Swan Problem

As my married adult woman together with I walked some Philips Lake inward southeast Columbia this morning, a brace of adult mute swans flew overhead.  Graceful together with tranquility every bit they cruised inward a higher house the lake, they were a beautiful sight to behold; i would non imagine that those swans are a potential menace.

As I discussed inward my post service from September of 2016, Mute Swans inward the U.S., these large birds are native to Eurasia together with were offset introduced to North America inward the belatedly 1800s.  Since that time, they convey colonized the Northeast together with Mid-Atlantic Coasts also every bit the Great Lakes Region.  Looking at their make map on eBird, i finds that mute swans directly inhabit or catch portions of all of the Lower 48 States.  Unfortunately, they are aggressive birds, known to gear upward on native waterfowl species, together with are voracious consumers of aquatic vegetation, threatening the wellness of both coastal together with interior wetlands.

Wildlife managers along the Eastern Seaboard attempted to constitute a hunting flavour to command their population exactly that get was blocked past times swan-loving citizens.  While efforts to eliminate invasive plants rarely grab the attending of the full general public, the killing of swans, long associated amongst wilderness, royalty together with fairytales is some other matter; the fact that they may comport upon the welfare of our native trumpeter together with tundra swans seems to send niggling weight.  Such are the consequences of careless introduction programs, a human habit that continues today.

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