Ottawa S Royal Swans

Ottawa’s Royal Swans

An Unsupportable Decision

The City of Ottawa staff decision to keep the Royal (Mute) Swans in lock up this summer “to protect them from avian flu” is not only inhumane, there is no scientific evidence to support the decision and, in fact, the decision is simply not rationale.

No case of avian flu has ever been reported in migratory birds anywhere in North America

Not surprisingly, on the basis of this fact, no other city in Canada has quarantined their swans. Cities such as Halifax, London, Stratford, and StanleyPark all have their swans on the river and consider the Ottawa decision “silly”

In 1967, Queen Elizabeth II presented the swans to the City of Ottawa as a centennial gift. The Queen’s Royal Swan Marker, David Barber, also known as Britain’s official caretaker of Ottawa’s swans, has stated there is no reason for the swans to be cooped up, saying, “we’re not keen on seeing swans kept in captivity”

City Bylaw Services staff has indicated that its decision to keep the swans in captivity this summer was based on a guideline from the Canadian Wildlife Service in May 2006. There is nothing in this document that would lead any reasonable person to conclude that it recommended a change in the long-established practice of releasing the swans into their summer habitat. The guideline issued to aviculturists and wildlife rehabilitation centres includes reasonable health precautions along with the recommendation for these facilities to “minimize contact among resident birds in your facility, free ranging wild birds, and domestic poultry”. This is a commonsense, standard practice that has always applied while animals are within these facilities so it is disingenuous for City staff to have presented this as meaning the animals should not be released from these facilities

In fact, government agencies and leading scientists in the field that have been contacted by Councillor Rick Chiarelli’s office have indicated that there is virtually no risk of the swans getting avian flu

The rationale that the swans are being kept in lock up this summer to protect them from avian flu means a “life sentence” for these birds as avian flu will be around indefinitely, so why keep them at all in such unnatural and inhumane conditions?

Inhumane Conditions

Anyone who has seen the recent TV footage of the swans at the Leitrim facility is appalled at the size of the pen that these birds are being held in and the condition of the swans (see the set of photographs taken from the video). The pair of swans shown had very elevated wings either due to the cramped quarters and/or the heat. The pen floor was covered in feathers, a further indication of stress. The TV footage makes a mockery of the statement made by the Deputy City Manager that “I’m advised that other aviculture permit holders are envious of the (Leitrim) facility”

The TV footage makes it clear that the housing for the swans at Leitrim would not meet the minimum international standards set for wildlife rehabilitation centres with respect to animal housing for large water fowl (the Royal Swans have a wingspan of 7.5 to 8 feet). And, these standards are for birds undergoing rehabilitation for relatively short periods of time, unlike the swans who, because of the City staff’s unsupportable decision, are being forced to spend nearly 18 months in captive quarters

The decision to not release the swans this year has no doubt caused further severe distress for these birds by disrupting their biological cycle when they would have, normally, been seeking out a territory on the river and building a nest. Were there any cygnets born while in captivity this spring and, if so, what has happened to them?

Responsibility for the Royal Swans

The Royal Swans’ wings have been pinioned, meaning that they can flap their wings enough to lift themselves up to drive away a predator, but not enough to enable flight. Since the swans have had their capacity to fly taken away, we are therefore responsible for ensuring that the swans are able to live a life that is as “normal” as possible by affording them as much freedom and access to a natural aquatic environment as possible, and by giving them adequate space to live in when held captive indoors in their winter quarters. To do otherwise would be cruel and also constitute gross neglect of, and disrespect for Queen Elizabeth’s gift to the City of Ottawa. For more information on the Royal Swans see the attached Swan Facts

Public Accountability

Why is there such secrecy at the Leitrim facility? While it is understandable that it should not be open to the public for the sake of the swans, the press must be allowed, on reasonable request, to film what is a public facility in order to ensure accountability, transparency and an appropriate level of care

Cost to Taxpayers

The cost of keeping the swans over the entire summer in captivity will obviously result in significant additional costs. What is the cost and who is paying it?

Lack of Leadership at City Hall

There is a great deal of anger in the community that this wrongful, overreactive decision and its very inhumane consequences has not been overturned by those we elect. The unwillingness of staff to back down from what is clearly an unsupportable decision raises the question as to who is running the city. The staff who have overstepped their bounds in this controversy should be asked to resign. The significant, on-going media coverage of the affair has meant that Ottawa is not only seen negatively but is becoming a laughing stock. Sadly, it is no laughing matter for the swans

What is Required

Unfortunately, much of the summer is already lost. If the swans are not released within the next few days it then becomes questionable as to whether they should be released at all this year. For example, if the decision is delayed until the City Council meeting late in August, it is really too late. Allowing the swans only 6-8 weeks on the river would not justify the stress they face when upped (collected). Particularly, as they would have relatively fresh memories of the dismal circumstances they were being returned to (swans have long memories)

If it should be decided that the Royal Swans not be released this year, then Council must at least ensure that the housing, which was never designed for long-term captive care, be upgraded immediately. Council must also review and make public the Code of Practice that the City is following for the daily care of the swans. (See the attached Swan Sanctuary Code of Practice)

Councillors should be invited to tour the facility to see for themselves the conditions in which the Royal Swans are being confined and assume responsibility for improving their living conditions, given the extraordinary length of time these birds will have been relegated to the facility

If the decision is taken next spring to continue to hold the Royal Swans in captivity, then Council must make whatever arrangements are necessary to negotiate their transfer to another city so that they can be released with that city’s resident swans. It is essential that they not be held any longer than April 2007 given the fact that they will have then been in continuous captivity for close to one and a half years

It is simply unconscionable that these magnificent birds should continue to be treated as pawns in what can only be explained as a bureaucratic power play, leaving residents wondering who is running the City and asking why we have elected officials when no one is listening to the public.

Submitted by the Ottawa Royal Swan Coalition

August 15, 2006

Members of the Coalition: Canadian Biodiversity Institute;

Ottawa-Carleton Wildlife Centre; Ontario Wildlife Coalition;

Animal Alliance of Canada

SWAN FACTS

► Swans are highly intelligent and remember who has been kind to them, or not.

► Behaviour: Swans respond in kind to gentle and considerate treatment. They don’t arbitrarily attack people, and will only bite if they feel threatened. They are more aggressive during the nesting season because they need to protect their nest, eggs and babies. Nesting season usually starts in March and lasts a few months until the cygnets can become independent.

► Mute swans have sharp vision and hearing.

► Sounds: Although they don’t have a “call” they have a remarkable assortment of sounds to convey a broad range of emotions, from a gentle ‘bleat’ through a range of puppy-like barking notes, and a head-to-tail long snort sometimes combined with head-raising and feathers fluffed, to register delight.

► How to recognize a male from a female: Male and female look alike, but if you look carefully, you can tell one from the other:

- Males are larger than females;

- The knob at the base of the male's upper bill is larger than the female's knob. This knob

distinguishes the mute swan from all others;

- The neck of a male is thicker than the neck of a female.

► Swans usually mate for life, remaining together through the year, but “divorces” have been known, and if one of a pair dies, the survivor usually seeks out a new mate, and the pair remains devoted.

► Mating: Swans begin to breed between 3 and 4 years of age. It’s a special treat to see swan mates “displaying” during the mating season, gracefully touching bill-to-bill and breast-to-breast until a perfect heart shape is formed, or gently intertwining their necks.

► Eggs: They lay from 5 to 10 eggs that take from 35 to 42 days to hatch. The female does most of the egg incubation, but every now and then the male will replace her for a while so she can have a swim and a ‘bite to eat’ in the lagoon.

► Cygnets are usually pale grey with grey legs that turn black as they grow, but there is a European sub-species or variant known as the Polish Mute, where the cygnets are white, with pink legs and feet.

► Food: Swans eat aquatic vegetation and insects, even tiny fish and tadpoles. Because they can plunge their long neck well below the water’s surface, they’re not in competition with ducks and smaller waterfowl for food. They actually help the smaller birds when parts of plants they’re eating float to the surface.

► Pinioning: Following Environment Canada’s regulations, swans are “pinioned”, meaning their wing tendons have been clipped. This is done because the Mute Swan was an introduced species, and not native to Canada. Pinioning ensures that they won’t become feral and intermix with native species. They cannot fly away but can raise themselves above the water surface for speedier movement, or to protect their cygnets

► Size and weight: Mute swans weigh from 6.5 – 13 kg (14 – 30 pounds), are about 160 cm (5 feet) long and can have a wingspan up to 2.5 meters (8 feet). (How can a bird with a wingspan of eight feet possibly stretch its wings in accommodation as restrictive as the Swantanamo Compound?)

► A mute swan’s neck has 23 vertebrae, more than any other bird.

► A swan has about 28,000 feathers.

► Swans must continually preen their feathers to waterproof them.

► Lifetime: A swan in a protected environment can live as long as 30 years.

► A male swan is called a "cob".

► A female swan is called a "pen".

► A baby swan is called a "cygnet".

► A group of cygnets or eggs is called a "clutch".

► A group of swans in the wild is called a “herd” while those in captivity are called a “fleet”.

FACILITIES

... the following suggested standards should be met and adhered to, whatever scale of any individual unit. ... Any bird fit enough to be in an outdoor enclosure will require enough room not to feel constricted and have the opportunity to behave as "normally" as possible.

Experience has shown that an enclosure approximately 9 metres x 6 meters (approx. 20 feet by 30 feet) is an optimum area that will cater for most situations likely to be encountered even if carers are suddenly presented with a family group e.g. two parent birds and half a dozen or more cygnets.

This size enclosure will accommodate a pond that should he of the "sunken" variety and will have a surface water area of approximately 3 meters x 3 meters. The depth of the pond should ideally reach 1 meter when filled, and this will allow adult swans to "up end" to their limit and give Youngsters an adequate training ground.

At least one side of the pond should be sloped at such an angle that swans and humans can easily walk in and out when the pond is partly or wholly drained. Remember that some birds will be a bit unsteady even on level ground. If swans have to struggle and flap to exit a drained pond, they may well damage wings and/or rip out claws.

Swans like all water fowl are "messy' birds, and it is vital that good drainage and cleansing facilities are installed. Drainage should be effected from the lowest point of the pond, and should be "non-return" either to the pond drained or other ponds on site cross contamination is always the biggest potential threat.

An adequate supply of fresh water should be available for all filling and cleansing requirements, and should include a stand pipe and hose, that provides a good water pressure.

A shelter should be provided in each enclosure, and "bedding" of clean barley straw put down: not wood shavings as some swans have shown a tendency to eat these, with disastrous results. Also do not use hay for bedding, as this is often very dusty and can aggravate any respiratory problems.

If the site is fox and dog proof, the enclosure need only have a perimeter fence some 1 meter in height, as the birds will not ordinarily be able to fly out of such a confined space. Whoopers and Bewicks can be a bit more "flighty" than the Mutes. Obviously any fencing should be safe and kept in good condition. Do not use mesh large enough for birds {especially curious cygnets) to get their heads through. In addition, NEVER top fences with barbed wire or other such materials.

Enclosures or pens as described above should be surfaced with concrete throughout, and if slabs are used, then the gaps between should be "pointed". There are a lot of misconceptions relating to the surface that water birds require to walk on. Much of the literature available will dissuade the use of concrete and cement, but grass and soil paddocks are impossible to clean and sterilise, and good hospital practice will eliminate any predisposition to "bumblefoot" or other staphylococci infections.

The enclosure should be cleaned of droppings and spilled food and hosed down at leased once daily: more often as necessary, and the pond must be drained and hosed down at least every 48 hours: preferably daily.

Between patients, the whole of the enclosure and pond areas should receive thorough cleaning and disinfecting; remembering to rinse completely before refilling the pond.

Indoor holding facilities should not be cramped or claustrophobic, and must not be draughty. The building or room should be described as "sound and secure", and must be capable of maintaining an ambient climate in relation to heating and ventilation, summer or winter.