Continuously serving Kosciusko County since 1854
The Department of Natural Resources is hosting an informational meeting regarding mute swans at 7 p.m. Wednesday, in the North Webster Community Center's banquet hall. The center is at 301 N. Main St., North Webster.
Many of the orange-billed mute swans nest in northeast Indiana. In May, residents of Backwater Lake were shocked to witness a permit-holder shoot 10 swans. The man's permit was evenutally revoked, but not before a public outcry had begun.
A public hearing sponsored by the IDNR regarding mute swan populations was held in Edinburgh last November. It is interesting to note there are no significant bodies of water or wetlands near Edinburgh.
The Migratory Bird Treaty Reform Act, signed into law in late 2004, removed the mutle swan (Cygnus olor) along with many other non-native species, from the list of birds protected by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act.
They were removed because they are not native to the United States or its territories and not present as a result of natural biological or ecological processes.
IDNR Director Kyle Hupfer signed an emergency order last year allowing "problem" swans to be taken by licensed wild animal control permit-holders and property owners. This order has expired as of May 18 and there is no longer a provision in Indiana law to allow killing, possessing or selling mute swans.
Mute swans are considered aggressive birds that can exclude, and sometimes kill, native waterfowl from wetlands. Mute swans can also be aggressive toward humans. Ecologically, mute swans can damage wetland habitats by overgrazing aquatic vegetation resulting in reduced food and habitat for other native wetland inhabitants.
According to Linnea Petercheff, operations staff specialist for the Indiana Divison of Fish and Wildlife, Hupfer is considering whether to re-authorize the taking of mute swans and will make an announcement later this year regarding hunting mute swans during a special season.
Intentional releases of mute swans in Michigan are likely responsible for Indiana populations along with escapes from waterfowl hobbyists and landowners. The nesting population of feral mute swans is fairly small, but numbers increase substantially during fall migration and wintering periods.
Black-billed trumpeter swans Cygnus buccinator, and tundra swan, Cygnus columbianus, are still protected by the U.S. Government. They are rarely seen in Indiana, using the state as part of their migratory pattern. They do not nest here.
