Swan Dies From Injuries Caused by Fishing Line

Veterinarians at Tufts School of Veterinary Medicine in Grafton were unable to save a swan that had been injured due to some fishing line that had gotten wrapped around its jaw.

Shrewsbury Animal Control Officer Leona Pease responded to a call last Friday of a report of an injured swan on Newton Pond, behind 130 Sewall St. It was the second time Pease had been called to find the swan; the first time, she could not locate it.

"I was ready to say it was once again gone on arrival," said Pease, "when I saw it behind a person's home. [The owner] came out and helped me corral it and I netted it."

Pease said the swan looked thin, but its wings appeared to be fine, and brought it to Tufts.

"As they examined it more, they found fishing line around its bottom jaw," said Pease. "When they X-rayed it, it was found to have a broken bottom jaw due to the fishing line. The swan was euthanized. The take away from this is that when folks are out fishing they should take all the fishing line back and dispose of it in a propper manner.  Many water fowl are injured and killed due to discarded fishing line."