Swan In Brick Freed From Hook, Line By Popcorn Park Staff

BRICK, NJ — A swan that got tangled in a fisherman's line and got hooked has been freed, thanks to the efforts of residents and Popcorn Park personnel.

The male swan, part of a family that visits the lagoons in the Cherry Quay area, was first noticed with the fishing line around his neck on Aug. 14 by a resident on Royal Drive, accounts of the situation said.

Residents called the Associated Humane Societies Popcorn Park to report the swan in distress, John Bergmann of Popcorn Park wrote in a post on Facebook.

It took five days of searching and trying to coax the swan close enough to where they could reach it, Bergmann wrote.

The search began on Aug. 16. "With the help of a local resident and his boat we searched all the lagoons where the swans frequented but they weren’t to be found. We went out to the marsh on Perch Creek and halfway down there they were, mom and dad and their 3 cygnets," he wrote.

As they got closer, they saw the male had a fish hook stuck in his neck, and fishing line attached to it was "wrapped up in his wings, preventing him from getting around easily."

The swan was able to eat and swim, but kept his distance from Bergmann and the Popcorn Park staffers.

"We realized that working from the boat wasn’t an option," he said. So they decided to look for another way to reach the swan so they could grab him to remove the hook and line.

They tried three days later from the dock of one of the homes on Royal Drive.

"The swan family came right over to eat, mom first, then her cygnets," Bergmann wrote. But the male was still keeping his distance. "He got tired of us trying to coax him in and he left with his family when they had had enough to eat. We knew he wasn’t in any immediate danger but we also knew we had to catch him up soon and remove the line."

Residents then were asked to feed the swans a little less, to make the male "a little bit hungrier and maybe come closer when we came back," he wrote.

Two days later, when they returned, the swan approached the floating dock where Bergmann had whole corn.

"Within a minute the dad was right there, we threw some whole corn in the water, it sank and he followed it down and put his head underwater to get it and gave me the chance to grab him," Bergmann wrote. Other staff members controlled the swan's wings and lifted him out of the water.

With wire cutters they cut the hook and removed it and the fishing line, then released the swan. The remainder of the swan family stayed about 25 feet away while Bergmann and the staff worked to remove the hook and line, he said.

"Thank you to all the residents of Royal Drive and to Jill for all the help," he said.

Associated Humane Societies Popcorn Park was established in 1977 to provide a refuge for wildlife that were sick, elderly, abandoned , abused, or injured, and which could no longer survive in its natural habitat.

The facility offers pets for adoption as well as caring for sick and injured wildlife and donations support its nonprofit mission. Donations can be made through its website, www.ahscares.org.

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