Rescuers Headed To Save Rare Black Swans On LI

SOUTHOLD, NY — Two rare Australian black swans have been spotted in Southold creeks in recent days — and, because they are domesticated and have likely been abandoned by whoever owned them, they are unable to defend themselves against wild swans that are attacking them, neighbors said.

But on Wednesday, rescuers said help was on the way.

The Suffolk Times first reported that the swans were seen in Corey Creek. Now, according to Deb Stroup of Peconic, the swans were seen by Andrew Semon in Jockey Creek.

"People need to hear that they are in danger," Stroup said. "These poor things are tame and defenseless. They are not suited for the wild."

John Di Leonardo, president of Long Island Orchestrating for Nature, first got a call to help the swans from a representative of the Evelyn Alexander Wildlife Rescue Center in Hampton Bays.

Di Leonardo, who has been working hard to try and locate the bull on the loose in Mastic, said he will head out to Southold soon to rescue the swans, which are known for their distinctive, bright red bills.

.

Semon's neighbors have been trying to protect the black swans from the white swans, who are aggressive, Stroup said. "They jumped on their boards and herded the swans up Jockey Creek, away from the white swans," she said.

Di Leonardo offered tips to anyone who sees the swans. First, he said, it's key to contact him with the location of where they were seen by messaging him at the LION Facebook page so that he can locate them.

Also, Di Leonardo said, "Do not feed the swans."

It's critical that the swans are hungry, he said, so that he can entice them with bread and then capture them; he will then bring them to safety and rehome the swans.

Di Leonardo reminded that it is a crime to abandon a domesticated animal in the wild.

(Video courtesy Andrew Semon)

In May, Di Leonardo rescued two abandoned, domesticated ducks from a pond in Center Moriches.

Many ducks have been abandoned, Di Leonardo said, because during the pandemic, some people did home-hatching projects or bought ducklings to keep kids busy during quarantine. "And then, they were looking to get rid of them when they went back to work or their kids went back to school — so we've been rescuing so many abandoned domestics," he said. "People need to understand domestic ducks are not school science experiments, Easter props or objects to be discarded like trash."

He added: "Domestic ducks are as far removed from their wild counterparts as our companion cats are from tigers. Yet every year, many of these birds are abandoned at ponds or parks by people who bought ducklings to place in Easter baskets or as science experiments. They can't fly or adequately forage for food, and they're defenseless against predators, wild waterfowl that fight over territory, and people who view them as nuisances."