Stop Provoking The Swans, Popcorn Park Says After Brick Rescue

BRICK, NJ — As Alfie the swan continues to recover from injuries he suffered from fishing line, officials at Popcorn Park Animal Refuge hope the public will learn one message from the swan's saga: Leave wild animals alone.

"Provoking an animal to get a rise out of them, taunting birds and other animals to get a reaction, is downright cruel and in Alfie's case, can prove fatal," the refuge, a nonprofit organization that is affiliated with the Associated Humane Societies, said in a statement released Tuesday night.

Alfie, a mute swan that lived in the Seawood Harbor neighborhood in Brick, has gained a great deal of attention in recent weeks after the U.S. Department of Agriculture said the swan had become aggressive toward human beings and would be euthanized as a result.

The plan to kill the swan prompted a groundswell of opposition from residents of the neighborhood, which sits at the mouth of the Kettle Creek on Barnegat Bay. While the USDA deemed the swan aggressive, those seeking to protect it said the swan was responding to repeated harassment from jetskiers and exhibiting its natural response to protect its family.

"Alfie is a generally docile swan but during the spring and summer months, when he is protecting his mate and cygnets (his family) and is provoked, he has demonstrated protective behavior," Popcorn Park staff said. "As more people became aware of this side of him, some people would provoke him in order to get a reaction out of him. Videos have shown jet skiers circling the swan and egging him on, simply to get him, 'riled up.' "

Popcorn Park staff had been working with residents of the neighborhood to try to relocate Alfie to the refuge, but state and federal officials denied the request, on the basis that mute swans are not native to New Jersey.

That's when fate took matters into its own wings, so to speak.

John Bergmann, the director of Popcorn Park Animal Refuge, responded to Friday's call that to assist a swan that was entangled in fishing line.

"John responded to the call that was not unlike the many calls that he receives for swans in distress, and was able to safely capture the swan and remove the line. The swan was then brought back to our facility to ensure that he did not sustain any other injuries," the refuge said. "As fate would have it, the swan seems to be the infamous Alfie. He is resting comfortably at our facility but it would seem, Alfie saved himself!"

Popcorn Park has become widely known for efforts to assist swans in distress in waterfront towns throughout New Jersey. Bergmann in particular has responded to calls ranging from swans tangled in fishing line to ones injured during territory disputes.

"Due to the experience and knowledge needed in handling these birds, many local animal control officers are not equipped to respond to these calls, so whether we are contracted with a town or not, we respond, simply because it is the right thing to do," the refuge staff said.

The animal refuge does not receive federal or state funding; its funding comes from donations, animal control services to a few towns and from adoptions of animals at its shelter.

Those who want to donate to help Alfie and other swans and animals that Popcorn Park treats can contribute to its ResQ Fund, which provides emergency medical care for such animals. Donation information is available on the Popcorn Park website.

"Oftentimes a swan may need weeks of rest and medical care at our facility while other times, they can be released immediately," the refuge said. "We are still unclear as to how Alfie's story will end but for now, he is safe and recovering. We only hope that people will learn from his story, to simply leave animals alone."

"Please be kind, be humane, and let them live their lives," the refuge said.

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