A Sick Swan Is Saved

November 11, 2020 5:26 AM

Ariel Cordova-Rojas had planned to spend last Thursday afternoon immersed in nature. It was the day before her 30th birthday, and her intention was to ride her bike to Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge in Queens, watch birds fly overhead and hike amid the vibrant fall foliage.

Ms. Cordova-Rojas had been trained to spot a bird in distress...

So when the swan did not move or make a sound when she approached, she knew something was not right.

A Sick Swan Is Saved After a 23-Mile Odyssey by Foot, Car and Subway
posted by y2karl (20 comments total)

See also

Wild Ride: Wildlife Rehabilitator Takes Injured Swan On Subway From Queens To Upper West Side
posted by y2karl at 5:42 AM on November 11, 2020 [1 favorite]

That poor swan must have been so confused
posted by emjaybee at 5:50 AM on November 11, 2020 [3 favorites]

Sometimes it helps to read the article. There were several people involved not to mention Ms. Cordova-Rojas is a wildlife rehabilitator. She did what she was trained to do.
posted by y2karl at 6:30 AM on November 11, 2020 [10 favorites]

There are few things that will make me tear up faster than wildlife giving in and asking for help from people when they're in need. We don't deserve that trust.
posted by FirstMateKate at 7:03 AM on November 11, 2020 [13 favorites]

So when the swan did not move or make a sound when she approached, she knew something was not right.

I came right up on a swan or swan-like bird (egret maybe?) on a trail once, and it did bust a move to leave the vicinity. Sticking around for photos was not on the agenda.
posted by thelonius at 7:05 AM on November 11, 2020

“No one on the train seemed to care. There was a guy sitting right in front of me, didn’t even give a second glance. Just another day in New York City,” Cordova-Rojas said.
posted by zamboni at 7:14 AM on November 11, 2020 [7 favorites]

Wow, may I live my life such that when I show up with a swan and a bicycle, no one is really surprised. What an excellent human.
posted by lauranesson at 7:36 AM on November 11, 2020 [10 favorites]

Bae is now on antibiotics, anti-inflammatories, anti-fungal and medicine for lead poisoning. She is also getting plenty of salad and kibble - as well as buckets of TLC.

"She's really pretty happy here, if you see her tail wagging, she's also cleaning herself, she's having a good time," said Rita McMahon, the director of Wild Bird Fund.

In fact, she is having such a great time, workers noticed Bae started honking to a male swan in the other room. So they let the pair swim together...

Determined New Yorkers come together to save sick swan's life
posted by y2karl at 7:55 AM on November 11, 2020 [8 favorites]

I came right up on a swan or swan-like bird (egret maybe?) on a trail once, and it did bust a move to leave the vicinity.

An egret perhaps but probably not a swan. A swan would come at you. They are formidable birds when they are in good health -- they can be very scary.
posted by y2karl at 8:04 AM on November 11, 2020 [1 favorite]

I'm very glad she was able to rescue the swan but since it's non-native, I hope it isn't re-released to the wild. I think a better choice would be relocation to a zoo or public aviary where the swan can serve to educate the public.
posted by Big Al 8000 at 8:39 AM on November 11, 2020 [1 favorite]

Lovely story! And I particularly like the “Meanwhile, there’s a few people on the train and nobody seems to be fazed,” she said." aspect.

A few months back I was on a long evening walk and discovered a lost dog. After failed attempts to locate its owner in the area, I ended up walking quite a way home with a dog in my arms. Nowhere near as cool as a swan, but a similar kind of 'well, I guess this is what I'm doing' feeling!

(It was a happy story - the doggie was reunited with its owner the next morning.)
posted by EllaEm at 9:06 AM on November 11, 2020 [8 favorites]

Spent a few days in Brugges. Wonderful experience. We took some tour on a canal boat, and the swans we saw were menacing to say the least. We weren't even very close, and no one made a move towards them. But yikes, they are big and scary when you are down at water level with them. This was several years ago in the spring so perhaps they had nests and babies they were protecting.
posted by SoberHighland at 9:11 AM on November 11, 2020 [1 favorite]

I'm very glad she was able to rescue the swan but since it's non-native, I hope it isn't re-released to the wild.

It's a bit late for that. Mute swans have been living and breeding here for over two hundred odd years. And they have minds of their own.

This was several years ago in the spring so perhaps they had nests and babies they were protecting.

Exactly. I love to go canoeing from the Waterfront Activities Center on Lake Washington, which is behind Husky Stadium -- late Spring and early Summer, when they have cygnets in tow, is when they are most aggressive.
posted by y2karl at 10:06 AM on November 11, 2020 [2 favorites]

My sister-in-law did this once, finding a red-tailed hawk on the side of the highway while going to pick up her husband from work. The bird had probably been hit by a car and was in shock. She wrapped it in a blanket in the back seat and continued on to pick up John.

After about 20 minutes it started opening its wings and flapping around. She had to crawl in the back seat and hold it so that it didn't injure itself. They ended up dropping the bird off with their daughter who worked at a vet. My in-law is not a wildlife rehabilitator, but has done a lot of animal rescue at home. I think it's one of the dumbest things to have done to that poor bird, but have gotten mixed responses from other people who work with wildlife.

I just wish I could have seen his face when she pulled up with a raptor in the back seat.
posted by SoundInhabitant at 11:44 AM on November 11, 2020 [4 favorites]

This might be a real-life story, but it seems to me also a great premise for a modern fairytale in which the swan turns out to be a cursed princess who rewards her helpers with something magical, like an enchanted toaster that pops out delicious bagels every time they are hungry.
posted by pangolin party at 12:03 PM on November 11, 2020 [10 favorites]

an enchanted toaster that pops out delicious bagels every time they are hungry.

... goddammit thanks a lot
posted by tzikeh at 2:25 PM on November 11, 2020 [4 favorites]

This might be a real-life story, but it seems to me also a great premise for a modern fairytale in which the swan learns to read and write, play the trumpet, and moves to Boston to pursue a career in music before returning home to be with his true love.
posted by Reverend John at 3:33 PM on November 11, 2020 [4 favorites]

But yikes, they are big and scary when you are down at water level with them.

I went to college in a town where boating on the river was a popular thing, and the swans essentially ran a protection racket. You could be sitting in a boat enjoying your sandwich and a swan would crane its neck over toward you, fix you with a beady eye and "suggest" that you share.

The solution I found was to reach out over the water and give them a single potato chip (Pringles were good for this). The swan would bite down, the potato chip would shatter, and if you were handy you could get away while they were chasing all the pieces.

(I remain fond of swans and am glad this one will be OK.)
posted by Pallas Athena at 5:35 PM on November 11, 2020 [2 favorites]

The solution I found was to reach out over the water and give them a single potato chip (Pringles were good for this). The swan would bite down, the potato chip would shatter, and if you were handy you could get away while they were chasing all the pieces.
This is why this website is essential to a life well lived. What an excellent strategy!
posted by Don Pepino at 8:58 AM on November 12, 2020 [1 favorite]

For the record: Swan v. Human

Note how the swans are trying to drive swimmers under the water. They are not to be trifled with.
posted by y2karl at 12:35 PM on November 16, 2020