After a five month stay at the Ohio Wildlife Center waterfowl enclosure on Cook Road, a female Trumpeter Swan rescued by SCRAM! in Westerville made her way last month to a new life at a Kansas zoo.
“Lulu,” a white Trumpeter Swan, had been part of a bonded pair brought to live at a neighborhood housing complex pond 12 years ago. The pair, whose wings were pinioned to prevent flying, had successfully raised about 40 cygnets until the male swan was killed last winter.
“The Homeowner’s Association reached out to us because of their concerns that the female was now alone and more vulnerable,” said Stormy Gibson of Ohio Wildlife Center, assistant executive director. “Trumpeter Swans are a state threatened species, monogamous breeders, and she was a good candidate to join a breeding program.”
After two visits to the pond, SCRAM! Wildlife Control staff brought Lulu to the Wildlife Hospital on January 1 where she was assessed and later transferred to the Pre-Release Facility waterfowl enclosure. Gibson began researching possible programs for her as she was not considered “wild” and could not be released at an alternate site.
Trumpeter Swans, with black bills and black feet, are the largest waterfowl in North America and one of the heaviest flying birds. In protected areas they can become accustomed to humans and close approaches. As waterfowl that are native to Ohio wetlands and ecosystems, they were gone from the state until efforts were made in 1996 to bring them back, according to the state Division of Wildlife. They are now found in 13 of the state’s 88 counties, and in 2017 there were 75 breeding pairs in Ohio.
The most promising placement option for Lulu was at the David Traylor Zoo in Emporia, Kansas to join their Trumpeter Swan breeding program. “The Traylor Zoo has an excellent program to help this threatened species as the hatchlings produced in the program are released to the wild,” Gibson said.
The biggest challenge after the Traylor Zoo agreed to accept Lulu into the program was arranging the transfer to their facility. With airline and flight restrictions imposed after COVID-19 in early spring, the only alternative was getting Lulu across the country by van. Ohio Wildlife Center staff member Kristi Krumlauf loaded the swan’s crate into a Wildlife Center van and met staff from the Traylor Zoo in St. Louis on May 2. The zoo staff then drove the swan back to Kansas.
“This was the best possible solution for her,” Gibson said. “She can continue to live in a protected environment and contribute to helping a threatened species.”