by Julie Hauserman
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As long as her wings stay strong, this swan can survive in the wild without all of her toes or the webbing on her feet.© The HSUS/Fearn |
A year-old swan may be heading back to the wild soon after a four-month intensive healing period that included salves of gooey honey and therapeutic swims in a special indoor tank at The Fund for Animals Cape Wildlife Center on Cape Cod, Mass.
To The Rescue
Some good samaritans in Fairhaven, Mass., rescued the bird after they saw her struggling to climb out of a pond in a public park. Most of her toes were bitten off—probably the work of a snapping turtle.
Her feet were bleeding so badly when she arrived at the center that director Robbie Fearn wasn’t sure the bird would make it.
“She couldn’t stand, and she couldn’t get up enough energy to fly,” he said.
Staffers at the wildlife center—which provides veterinary and rehabilitative care for injured, ill or orphaned wildlife—decided it was worth a try to get the bird back on what was left of her feet.
Honey Does the Trick
When the swan arrived early last November, staff cleaned her wounds and covered them in honey, which has natural antibacterial properties and helps heal skin injuries. Then they swathed her honey-covered feet with bandages and wrapped them in plastic bags.
Every few days, they painstakingly removed the bandages, cleaned the wounds, applied more honey, and bandaged her feet again.
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Swimming in a special tank helps the swan build her strength.© Fearn |
After about a month, the swan was introduced to a special indoor tank where she swam to keep her muscles strong and ready her for her reintroduction to the wild. The honey was replaced by a special collagen gel that helps skin re-grow.
The swan’s missing toes and webbing won’t grow back, but she still has one intact long toe and the rest of her partial toes for balance. As long as her wings stay strong, she should have no problems navigating her life as a wild swan, Fearn said.
She was one of six swans rehabilitated at Cape Wildlife Center this winter, but she was the only one suffering from turtle-bitten toes.
Back to the Wild
The tricky part now is finding a good place to release her. Because she lacks webbed feet, she needs a long stretch of water to act as a runway so she can take off.
And because swans are very territorial, the wildlife center needs to find either a medium-sized pond that has no other swans living on it, or a pond that’s big enough to accommodate another swan without sparking a territory battle.
“We’ll probably have to go scout a few ponds before we release her,” Fearn said. “I think she’ll do fine, even without all her toes.”
The Cape Wildlife Center operates year-round, providing professional care to nearly 2,000 injured, ill, and orphaned wild animals every year. It is one of four direct animal care centers operated by The Fund For Animals, an affiliate of The Humane Society of the United States. In 2005, the organizations formed an unprecedented partnership, expanding efforts to protect animals in the courts and provide for their veterinary, sanctuary, and rehabilitative needs at direct animal care facilities
