Responsible Ownership of Captive Mute Swans

ENCOURAGING OWNERS OF CAPTIVE MUTE SWANS
IN PENNSYLVANIA TO BE RESPONSIBLE FOR THEM.

 Click Images to Enlarge

My Goal is to Encourage Owners and Breeders of Captive Mute Swans
in Pennsylvania to be Responsible with their Mute Swans, so our State can
Avoid the Pennsylvania Game Commission imposing strict Regulations
or a Prohibition of Mute Swans in Pennsylvania.

Keeping Captive Mute Swans on Private Property will
benefit all who enjoy having or visiting these Graceful Swans.
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In Pennsylvania Privately owned Mute Swans
are considered Exotic Domestic Poultry – they are Captive Pets.
There are no current Restrictions for Owning, Buying,
Selling or Breeding Mute Swans in Pennsylvania.

If each Captive Mute Swan Owner and Breeder will Practice Responsible Care
to Prevent their Adult Mute Swans or Mute Cygnets from Leaving the Safety
of their Private Property, then a Feral Population will not become Troublesome
for PAGC WaterFowl Management.

Mute Swan Owners will help prevent the Feral Problems experienced by neighboring States.

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To Prevent Mute Swans from leaving Private Property
it is important Mute Swans are rendered Incapable of Flight.

The Surgical Pinioning of the Distal Section of ONE Wing
is a Permanent Way to keep Swans from Flying.
             Mute Swan Cygnet Pinioned at 5 Days Old. 

The Easiest and Least Traumatic Time for the Swans to have this Procedure done
is during the first 10 days after a Cygnet Hatches.

This should be done by an Avian Veterinarian
or Someone who is Knowledgeable of this Procedure.

Clipping Primary Flight Feathers of ONE Wing will Temporarily Ground
an Full-Winged Swan until their next Moult.

Clipping newly Emerged Flight Feathers is Risky while they are “Blood Feathers.”
It is Safer to wait until the Feathers Blood Vessels Atrophies.
It is easy to put off Clipping just a little TOO Long.
Your Swan may Simply Fly Off Never to Return.

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Finding New Homes for Mute Swan Cygnets and/
or Rehoming an Adult Mute Swan is the Responsibility of the Current Owner.

No Mature Mute Swan or Mute Cygnet should be release to Public Lands or Public Waterways
to live in the Wild as Feral Swans.

This Young Swan was LUCKY… He has been Rescued by Kind Folks.

In Pennsylvania Feral Mute Swans will be Remove
from Public Lands and Waterway by Hunters.

We Tried Over and Over to Catch this Mute Swan – NO Luck.

       This Gentle Female Mute Swans was Shot September 2008.

 Please Be Aware Your Swans and Cygnets are NOT Safe 
If they Leave Your Property. 

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As more and more States are Restricting Ownership, Requiring Permits
or simply Prohibiting Mute Swans in their States,
Finding new Homes for Mute Cygnets is becoming a Challenge..

Pinioned Mute Swans are much Easier to Rehome – Adopt to New Homes.
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Done properly Addling or Culling/Spoiling Swan Eggs
– Treating the Eggs to Prevent them from Hatching, will Reduce the Need
to find New Homes for the First Year Cygnets – 8 to 10 months old.
It is Important to Learn to do this Properly.

Allow the Female Mute Swan to “Sit” on her (Spoiled) Eggs for a Total of 42 Days,
then Remove them.  The 42 Days started when the Pen starts to “Sit” Full Time.

If you Take the Eggs away TOO soon, the Female will Recycle and lay another Clutch of Eggs.

Consider REPLACEMENT EGGS if you do not want Swan EGGs to Hatch.
SWAN REPLACEMENT EGGs
https://swanlovers.net/category/swan-replacement-eggs/

This way Your Swans will not be “Sitting” on Rotting Eggs.

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Consider Same Gender Pairs.

Instead of having a Breeding Pair, consider same Gender Swans.
Two Females are good Company for each other.

Female Pairings will need to “Sit”on their Nests of Unfertile Eggs for 42 Days
and then be Taken Off the Eggs.

Female Swans without a Male to Protect them are MORE Vulnerable
during the Time they “Sit” on their Nests.

Having an Island for them to Nest on will Keep them Safer..  NO Island !

Consider a Floating Nesting Platform 

SWAN FLOATING NEST Box-Platform
https://swanlovers.net/category/swan-floating-nest-box-platform/

Two Nest Mate Males will often Live Peacefully Together.
They will build and sit on a Nest, NO Eggs to Spoil…or Protect.

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Not Grounding Cygnets can have Tragic Results.
Young Swan Cygnets Flying about may cause Accidents
by Landing on Highways Scaring Motorists.

Swans and Cygnets’ Wide Wing Span can cause Electric Cable Injuries. (???)
Swans can also become severely injured Flying into Fences.

Some PA Licensed Wildlife Rehabilitation Facility will take in Injured
or Wayward Mute Swans.
They are not Native Birds Covered by the Rehabber’s License.
The PA Licensed Rehabber May Not Release Mute Swans to the Wild..
A Few will try to Find Private Property Homes for Full-Wing Swans.
Sadly, Many of the Swans Simply Fly Away.. In Trouble Again.

Mute Swans Related Calls to the PAGC will Result
in the Euthanasia of Many Feral Mute Swans.

PAGC will not Rescue Wayward, Ill or Injured Mute Swans.
Nor will they Arrange for them to be Placed in a New Home.
It is Sad to know these Wayward Swans will be Destroyed
through No Fault of their own.
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An Alternative to Owning Mute Swans
Consider Native Trumpeter Swans…

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Information about Owning Trumpeter Swans.

Trumpeter Swan Society|Plymouth, MN
https://www.trumpeterswansociety.org

The Successful Recovery of Wild Trumpeter Swan Populations to Mid-West
North America is a Conservation Success Story attributed to coordinated
Captive Breeding and Reintroduction Programs overseen by
the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and
managed through State and Federal Wildlife Agencies.

Trumpeter Swan Captive Breeding Programs.

There are several Website that have information
about Trumpeter Swan Restoration Programs..

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If you know of a Wayward Mute Swan that needs Rescued,
Please Contact me.. We will try to help.. if Possible.
Thank You – Linda M.Sweger   StarBug@comcast.net
Camp Hill, PA 17011 (717) 732-6216

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Below is Reference Material I have been using for Information.
Doing an Internet Search may have more Current Information.

The Mute Swan Management Plans Across the United States
are changing every year State by State.
There will be more Current Information on
www.SwanLovers.net
PAGE:  Where to Find Mute Swan Information for Your State.

PAGE: Current Status of Mute Swans in Pennsylvania
is not Constructed as of January 2017
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PAGC – State Wildlife Management Agency 2010
Information from the Waterfowl Management Specialist.

In Pennsylvania, there was/is no formal Mute Swan Eradication Program,
Mute Swans that turned up on Public Lands are often destroyed,
and State Law followed the MBTA in Classifying them as Unprotected.

In effect, they could be taken without a permit at any time, for any reason, by just about anyone.

A Photographer Posted Images of these Female Swans on the Internet.
Two Days later Hunters with a Boat and Dogs Arrived at this River Access and Shot them.

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The Current PAGC Policy for Control of Feral Mute Swans is:

Pennsylvania allows Mute Swans to be Shot by Hunters.

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Pennsylvania Firearm Owners Association
http://forum.pafoa.org/hunting-23/56877-mute-swan-hunting-risk.html

Mute Swans are an Invasive Species in the State of Pennsylvania.
The PAGC Recommends that the Feral Swans be Removed at any Opportunity.
There is No Closed Season and they may be Taken at any Time on
Public Lands or Water Ways.

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This is taken from the 2009 PAGC Mute Swan Update
2009 PAGC State Mute Swan Update.html

In 2003 the Atlantic Flyway Council Adopted a Mute Swan Management
Plan with the Goals of Reducing Mute Swan Populations in their Flyway
to Levels that will Minimize Negative Impacts on Wetland Habitats and
Native Waterfowl, and Preventing Range Expansion into Unoccupied Areas.

Under the PAGC Flyway Management Plan,
Pennsylvania has a Two Fold Mute Swan Population Goal:
ZERO-FREE Ranging Mute Swans,
and a Maximum of 250 in Captivity.

By Documenting an Apparent Contraction of the Range of Mute Swans
in the State of Pennsylvania, Reduced Numbers and Productivity of
Feral Mute Swans, and Relative Stability of Domestic Mute Swan
Numbers below the Maximum Level, the 2008 Survey suggests that
progress is being made toward achieving Management Plan Goals.
       Two of the Above Mute Swans were Shot to Death. 

Duck Hunters Refuge     Pennsylvania Flyway Forum
http://www.refugeforums.com/refuge/threads/can-you-hunt-mute-swans-in-penn.928323/

Atlantic Flyway States and Provinces conduct a Mid-Summer Mute Swan Survey (MSMSS)
approximately every 3 Years to monitor Population trends of this Exotic,
Invasive Waterfowl Species. In Pennsylvania, the MSMSS consists of a Compilation
of Mute Swan observations by Wildlife Conservation Officers (WCOs)
within their districts during the survey period, which usually has target dates
in early August. WCOs are requested to Record any Mute Swans encountered
during their routine travels, and if possible to specifically check locations
where Mute Swans have been observed or reported in the past.

Much of this Progress can be attributed to the Diligent Control Efforts
of the PAGC and Partner Agencies following the Removal of Legal
Obstacles by the Migratory Bird Treaty Reform Act of 2004.
Work does, however, remain to be done to adequately address
the Negative Impacts of this Invasive Species.

Population Monitoring, Control Efforts, Guidelines and Regulations for keeping
Captive Mute Swans, and Public Education will all need to be continued or
improved to further Reduce the Number of Feral Mute Swans and keep
In-Check the still-sizable Population of Domestic Mute Swans, which
remains Capable of causing Nuisance and Ecological Problems while serving
as a Potential Source for future increases in the Free-Ranging Population.

     2011-2012 Mid-Summer Mute Swan Survey
for Pennsylvania

http://www.pgc.pa.gov/HuntTrap/Hunting/Documents/51004-11z.pdf

The Pennsylvania portion of the 2011 (AF) Atlantic Flyway MSMSS was conducted by (WCO) Wildlife Conservation Officers statewide from mid-July through late August, with the majority of surveys completed during the target dates of 1-14 August.

During the 2011 survey, 167 Mute Swans were observed in Pennsylvania. This was 41% below the total from the 2008 survey and 52% below the peak (2002) total for this survey. The numbers of Broods (10) and Cygnets (17) observed both decreased from 2008, and both totals were the lowest since 1993. The number of Mute Swans classified as Feral declined to 45 (15% fewer than the 2008 survey and the lowest on record for this survey in Pennsylvania).

Feral Mute Swans are also accounting for a declining percentage of observed Broods (10% in 2011, compared to 13% in 2008, 26% in 2005, and 38% in 2002).

The 2011 survey also documented a continued range contraction in the state, with the 30 WCO districts where Mute Swans were observed being the lowest total since 1999. Mute Swan numbers continue to be highest in southeastern Pennsylvania (94). For the entire AF, 9,202 Mute Swans (13% below the 2008 total) were observed (Table 1).

Hunters from other States were coming to Pennsylvania to Shot Feral Mute Swans.
Information allowing this was/is listed in their Hunting Guides.

As in Pennsylvania, flyway-level Mute Swan numbers trended upward from survey inception in 1986 to a peak in the 2002 MSMSS, but have decreased since then. Declining trends are due mainly to active control efforts throughout the flyway (aided by the removal of legal obstacles by the Migratory Bird Treaty Reform Act of 2004); these efforts will continue as managers seek to reduce Mute Swan populations to levels identified in the AF Mute Swan Management Plan: <3,000 flyway-wide, zero feral/maximum 250 captive in Pennsylvania.

At the flyway level, the 2005 MSMSS indicated that Atlantic Flyway
Mute Swan numbers had declined (albeit slightly) from 2002,
the first decrease observed since initiation of the survey.

A summary of the 2008 Mute Swan Survey Results for the entire flyway,
which will show whether the Flyway as a whole continues to mirror
Pennsylvania’s progress toward management plan goals.

A Few Feral Mute Swans may Live for a while in Areas
where Hunting is not Allowed. 
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PAGC – State Wildlife Management Agency

Historically, because Mute Swans are an exotic and non-migratory
species, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service did not consider them
protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act (MBTA), an
international treaty which gives the federal government primary
responsibility for managing migratory birds, including native
ducks, geese and swans.

Consequently, management of Mute Swans was the responsibility of individual states. In Pennsylvania, although there was no formal Mute Swan eradication program, Mute Swans that turned up on public lands are often destroyed, and state law followed the MBTA in classifying them as Unprotected.

In effect, they could be taken without a permit at any time, for any reason, by just about anyone. It’s likely that this approach was responsible for keeping our feral Mute Swan population from growing as rapidly as in states where Mute Swans were protected under state law and/or not consistently removed from public lands.

In December 2001, however, in response to a lawsuit, a federal court ruled that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service could not exclude Mute Swans from MBTA protection. This placed Mute Swans in the same protected category as native waterfowl, and in effect meant that control measures, including those used in Pennsylvania, had to be put on hold or stopped.

Combined with the rapidly multiplying feral Mute Swan population
in the Chesapeake Bay just to our south, and the increasing numbers
of domesticated Mute Swans already in Pennsylvania that could
serve as a source of new feral Mute Swans, these constraints on
control activities were a major cause for concern.

Following the court ruling, the PAGC worked with the Fish and
Wildlife Service and other Atlantic Flyway States to develop the
Atlantic Flyway Mute Swan Management Plan.

This plan established Mute Swan population goals for the flyway, along with
strategies to begin reducing populations to those levels within the parameters of the MBTA.

As part of this plan, the PAGC established a Pennsylvania population goal of zero feral, free-ranging Swans and a maximum population of 250 legally-permitted Swans held in captivity.

One of the most important control measures suggested in the
management plan was the issuance of federal depredation permits to
allow state personnel to resume removing Mute Swans from public
lands and from private lands with landowner permission.

However, attempts by the USFWS to issue Mute Swan depredation permits were obstructed by further lawsuits. The lack of depredation permits severely hampered the ability of wildlife managers in Pennsylvania and elsewhere to maintain Mute Swan populations at or below the levels specified in the management plan.

Fortunately, legislation clarifying that the MBTA does not, and was never intended to, apply to non-native species such as the Mute Swan was passed by the U.S. Congress and signed by President George Bush in November, 2004.

In effect, this action has returned management authority for Mute Swans to the states, as was the case prior to 2001. This change should make it much easier to keep Pennsylvania’s Mute Swan population under control; of particular benefit is the ability to resume Euthanasia of Feral Mute Swans where appropriate.

Other management tools may also prove useful in reducing the threat posed by Mute Swans.

Egg addling (treating eggs to prevent them from hatching) is
labor-intensive and much less effective at reducing populations than
removal of adult Mute Swans, but it has been used with some success on Mute Swan nests in Maryland, and may be appropriate for some situations in Pennsylvania.

Another useful option might be the adoption of regulations to strictly regulate the possession of Captive Mute Swans to ensure they do not cause major conflicts or serve as a source of new feral populations.

Regardless of the exact control methods ultimately adopted, it is very important to change public perception that Mute Swans are a wonderful addition to our outdoors.

Just as house sparrows and starlings rob eastern bluebirds of critical
cavity-nesting locations, Mute Swans are displacing native waterfowl
and beginning to over use aquatic food sources.

Without our intervention now, while Pennsylvania’s Mute Swan population is still at a relatively manageable level, the problems Mute Swans cause for waterfowl and other wetland species will worsen, and addressing these problems will only become more difficult and expensive.
By becoming more informed about the threats posed by Mute Swans
and other introduced invasive species, communicating this
information to others, and supporting control efforts, all
Pennsylvanians who care about native wetland wildlife and its
habitats can play a role in safeguarding these species from biological
invasions.

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While Pennsylvania and Virginia allowed Mute Swans to be shot by
hunters, Delaware aggressively removed the birds from state lands.
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This Swan was Neglected by his Owners.
He finally walked away.   Luckily he was Rescued and Rehomed.
Captive Swans Need to be Cared for as Domestic Pets.
They NEED Proper Adequate Food and Reasonable Living Conditions.

This Information is a Work in Progress…..
As I learn more I will add to this information..
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Compiled by (C) L.M.Sweger    February 2019
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