Palace Swans Relocated to Zoo - Should They Stay Permanently?

Tues 3.9.21 ... Look for my update to this story in the next couple days.

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Wednesday evening this article came through my email news alert.  

https://www.sfgate.com/local/article/Palace-of-Fine-Arts-swans-Blanche-Blue-Boy-SF-15941089.php

I hadn't been to the Palace in at least a month, and had been meaning to go by and check on the Swans, the past couple weeks.  With Blanche's age (although I didn't think she was 25!), I worry about her.  So hearing this news is very upsetting.  

The article states that Blanche was the one who was possibly ill, but that same night there was also a Tweet by the Rec&Park, that both weren't well.  Both possibly being ill, is concerning, and makes me wonder if they weren't fed something bad by someone.  I've seen them in vulnerable situations too many times.

I have been visiting Blanche and Blue Boy for over ten years.  I have been lucky to experience some beautiful moments with them and their Cygnets.  In 2013 the priceless event of two babies hatching in front of me, is something I'll never forget. 

Here is a clip just after the first one hatched 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PinJBXIQajQ

And the second one, with its sibling, just minutes after hatching.  ...  Side bit, ...  I had seen Flamingos at the Zoo hatch but this was totally different.  The Flamingo Eggs pipped and it took some time (usually 2-48 hrs) for the Chick to peck its way out.  I never saw any pip holes on the Swan eggs when they were being turned.  Standing there, I heard a loud knock, knock, Blanche talked to egg, and literally the egg must have just split open, because there was the Chick!  Exactly two hours later, Blanche was talking to another egg, sat down, knock knock, and she stood up.  The egg had just cracked open, and the Chick was right there.  Incredible!

Screencap from my Flickr.  Haven't posted there in a long time, but I have some nice photos, lots of Zoo Friends, from when I used to have time to play around with them, edit, add borders, text, etc.

If anyone is interested  

https://www.flickr.com/photos/leo811_sf/

Another favorite, but scary sighting, was in 2012, when the whole Family, including Six full grown Cygnets, came marching back from Marina Blvd, where they had decided to take the kids to the beach across the street.  Evidentially not the first or last time they have left the Palace Lagoon with their babies.  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wlASd--vsCo

I feel it's necessary to illustrate some history, to support my wonder, whether the Swans should stay at the Zoo permanently. I apologize it may be long. I'm going to make as short as possible, and I know will still in no way cover it fully.

Between 2012-2017, anticipating the hatching and visiting the babies was a wonderful thing.  Until it wasn't.  The last few of those years, babies started going missing in curious ways.  The Caretakers exclusively blamed Animal Predators, yet I witnessed and continue to witness, bad behavior from the public the whole time I'm there, every visit.  So, I was suspicious of their tales.  I suspected the Caretakers were taking the babies soon after they were born.  When the whole group of babies went missing over night, in 2017, I knew this had to be true.  

By 2018, I dreaded the Swans breeding season.  From the attention to building their nest, to taking turns sitting on the eggs that contained their babies, and then watching them hatch, only to have them kidnapped within a couple days. It was heartbreaking, and I promised to help them keep their Family together.  

I was there the day after they hatched, which must have been after I had left the day before, because they were already in the water.  I listened to conversations one of the Caretakers had with one of the Gardeners, they were discussing getting "the net".   I was so upset, I can't even describe how frantic I felt, trying to figure out what to do to help them keep their Family together, as it seemed the kidnapping was about to happen.  

I made alot of calls on the spot, Media (they wanted story but didn't have a News truck available), Animal Care and Control (agreed this was wrong, sent someone out, but eventually deferred to Rec&Park), Rec&Park (sent a Ranger who too agreed this was wrong, but deferred to boss, who deferred to Caretakers) , and the guy who they take the babies to, who I had been in contact with a few years before.  His words were the most telling of the situation.  He said that he takes the babies because that's what they (the Caretakers) want.  He felt because he sold them Blanche and Blue Boy that he had to.  He keeps them on his farm, unless he can find a home for them.  Very nice guy who only wanted what is best for the Birds.  In his 80s, this was not a solution that was going to last forever.  I sent an email to an influential source explaining all this.  My source tried to mediate my position with the Rec&Park, and the Caretakers.  Unfortunately, after dozens of phone and email conversations (with all, including other City Officials), and illustrating of how wrong this was, evil prevailed and the kidnapping of these babies from their Parents happened before they were two days old. 

Now you might ask Why? are the babies being taken from Parents.  I was told by one of the Caretakers, it was to save their lives, as the Raccoons would take them.  I am not an unreasonable person, and in no way do I want to see or know that any of these babies lost their lives, this way, but this was wrong.  To me, this was akin to taking a human babie from its Mother because something "might" happen to it in their care.  In my opinion, this is twisted logic, based on a hypothetical.

After this horror, and seeing Blanche and Blue Boy, visibly showing behavior equal to our depression, I further expressed my opinion to my source and the Rec&Park, as it was the Rec&Park who allowed this to happen.  This has to stop.  They continued to defer to the Caretakers "expertise", which is questionable in my opinion.

I had talked to someone I know who has worked with Birds for over Twenty-Five years.  He agreed that there needed to be Breeding Management.  He even suggested that maybe the Zoo should take over their care much like the Bison.  In my post kidnapping correspondence, I noted this, suggesting that they use dummy eggs in the proper way (as one previous attempt had Blanche just lay more eggs that hatched), to prevent them from breeding any further.  Additionally, I suggested a better diet plan after repeatedly seeing one Caretaker feeding them Crackers and Cereal, as well noticing that the plants that border the lagoon are not edible for them.  I suggested Waterfowl food, and a small area be designated for plants they can eat.  Neither have happened.  Aside from the algae and water weeds, it seems the only food supplement they get is a can of corn, some lettuce, and the cereal and crackers.  I did see one of the Caretakers flail some grapes in that repeatedly hit Blanche and she had purple stains all over for days.

I held my breath every time I went to check on them during the 2019 breeding season.  Blanche was on the nest, Blue Boy was guarding from the water.  One day, there were six new babies in the water.  One of the Caretakers arrived and was standing near me.  I had never met her before, but had seen her behaving badly during the hatching of 2013.  She approached me to ask if I was the one with the YouTube video (I had made about the kidnapping the year before).  I said, Yes.  She proceeded to tell me her position. I told her mine.  I told her that she had bad breeding management, and that taking the babies was awful.  I noted that I didn't want to see harm come to them, but that taking them from their Parents on a hypothetical is cruel.  We talked about switching out the eggs, as she had done it unsuccessfully before.  I told her she needed to do better then.  I offered people I knew who could help, she declined.  Then she asked me if I could help her be a Caretaker since her partner was diminished with dementia. I declined and said, I would help, for them, but not if this practice of kidnapping is going to continue.  She asked me to help catch the babies right then so she could pinion them.  I had never done that before and declined.  I stayed and watched, but ultimately learned nothing about what plans were in store for these babies. 

I don't know what transpired, but these six Cygnets were allowed to stay with their Parents.  A group of neighborhood regulars and myself, texted updates almost daily.  The six grew to a decent size, before two were taken by Human Predator.  I flyered the surrounding area in hopes someone caught it on a security camera but heard nothing, and the Police did nothing.  The four continued to grow, but sometime later, after two more went missing, presumed by a Coyote spotted in area that morning, the remaining two were removed.   

I think they ended up staying with the Parents for near three months, which was a good run, and after four went missing, removing them at that time was the right call.  It was very sad that the numbers dwindled, but not unlike other wild waterfowl.  I feel awful that they lost four of the six, and there is always a it of a thought struggle of, what if they had been removed from start?  I still believe, that the Parents deserve the right at a chance to raise the babies they put their souls into creating.  They may be considered captive because their wings are clipped and they can't leave the area, but they live as wild Birds and should be allowed to keep their babies until the natural time when they would all go their own way.  In this case, their own way, is being removed from the lagoon.  Again, losing the four was sad, but having Humans forcibly remove their babies just after hatching, in my opinion is far more traumatizing.

Thankfully, there was success last year in egg management, and there were no Cygnets hatched.  It was sad, but for the best, even though my heart broke for Blanche and Blue Boy to go through nest building and incubating and having nothing at the end.  At least their babies weren't taken from them.

Hopefully, this hasn't been too long of a read, because all information is necessary relating to my title question, Should the Swans stay at the Zoo permanently?  

Personally I think if appropriate space can be found for them, Yes!  Blanche deserves a retirement home, with consistent medical care, and good diet, and that home should include Blue Boy.   I was happy to read he was removed as well and brought to be with her.  As usual there is something I don't understand.  Why did it take twelve days?

The Rec&Park Tweeted this ... Hoping for regular updates.

I have watched these two and they are a bonded pair.  It's documented that Mute Swans mate for life.  I was shocked when in that 2018 conversation with the Caretaker, she told me she was thinking of removing Blue Boy!  We had been discussing breeding management and I asked her why she would ever have brought a male in, instead of just having females?  She didn't answer, but yet blurted her idea to remove him.  I was like, ahhh, No, you can't separate them.  You would have to remove them together and then bring in females.  She told me that Blanche didn't like Blue Boy.  This woman's credibility went from low to zero with that statement.  People, do they look like they don't like eachother?

So, with Blanche's age, the breeding management situation, and the dietary concern, as well as lack of regular medical care and the daily crap they put up with from humans, I think finding them a home in the Zoo would be in their best interest.  

Having Swans at the Palace is beautiful and idyllic, but unnecessary considering many factors and in recent years by the Caretakers own admittance, something that has been increasingly hard to handle on her own.

Thinking of unused areas (they can not be housed with any other Birds) with water sources, ideas popped in this order, ... the sea lion pool, the old Pygmy Hippo area, and then the pond in the Children's Zoo.  In my opinion,  the last being the best option as it is not surrounded by concrete.  

From Google Maps ... Orange is area. Blue is pond. Green is adjacent land area. ... A few of area I took recently.

It is a bit shallower than ideal, but I think might meet the 2-3 ft minimum depth requirements that I've read about.  It would need a few renovations, a border fence to contain them, and a night barn to protect them from Predators.  Additionally, I heard there might have been an issue with the drain, but if that can be fixed, I think that area could work.  Maybe the Rec&Park and the Caretaker could help with the costs of renovation. 

It would be great to see this pond alive again.  The Zoo has too many unused areas that need to be filled, and what better way than with Animals in need. ... I've had a post about this in draft for over a year.  Maybe soon  Stay tuned.

I'm Praying for Blanche and for Blue Boy if indeed they are both not well.  Hoping they recover and retiring them to the Zoo is considered.

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