A swan who appeared to have suffered some abuse is recuperating nicely after being rescued from a Flushing park, according to a local lawmaker.
A resident recently observed the female swan with discolored feathers in Kissena Park and reached out to state Senator Tony Avella’s office, who then contacted the city’s Department of Parks and Recreation and nonprofit group The Wild Bird Fund. The bird’s eggs were missing and she may have been the victim of “foul play,” Avella noted.
Urban Park Rangers located the swam and brought her to the Wild Bird Fund, where she was taken in and named Kissena. Rescuers discovered the swan had oil on her feathers, substantial lead poisoning and a bacterial infection in her gut.
The swan is doing much better and should return to the park in about a month, the state senator’s office said.
The Wild Bird Fund shared a photo of the swan on their official Twitter account on June 14. Volunteers said the bird “came in covered in oil and grime and it has taken a lot of baths to get her into swimming shape.”
Kissena is enjoying the pool finally after several weeks of not being waterproof. She came in covered in oil and grime, and it has taken a lot of baths to get her into swimming shape. Please consider helping with a donation: https://t.co/sSRKgxtD2o
Photo: Jenny Olsen pic.twitter.com/5MCoPGgaUe
— Wild Bird Fund (@wildbirdfund) June 14, 2018
“Without this constituent reporting the swan’s condition to me, it may have met an unfortunate end,” Avella said. “I thank the Urban Park Rangers and the Wild Bird Fund for taking swift action and look forward to seeing the swan return to the park in the near future.”
The case was also reported to the 109th Precinct for further investigation.
