Save our Swans
 
For many who visit Toronto's waterfront a source of joy is watching Mute Swans, the intelligent orange-beaked birds, loved for their beauty and lasting pair bonds. In the spring it is especially moving to watch the parents nest then raise their baby cygnets.  
 
The father typically takes about 3 weeks to build the nest, with the mother adding the finishing touches to the cavity she will rest on for many weeks. Indeed, once all the eggs are laid, she then sits on the nest faithfully for 5 weeks, rarely leaving, even to eat. 
 
Having watched this 8-week process with one pair in 2021, it was heartbreaking to learn that the eggs had been oiled. The mother sat on the nest for weeks and then we witnessed the  mother and father dismantling the nest together when they knew that the eggs would not hatch. 
 
This petition seeks to save these swans from having their eggs destroyed by TRCA (the Toronto Region Conservation Authority).
 
In the past, this pair's eggs have been destroyed by TRCA.  Typically, this is done by oiling the eggs, which cuts off the oxygen the cygnets inside need to develop. This is fatal for the cygnets, of course, and devastating for the parents. Mothers have been known to stay on the nest weeks longer than usual, nearly starving but unwilling to give up on the cygnets she thinks will emerge. 
 
The stated reasons for egg destruction include:
1.     Mute Swans are considered too plentiful and increasing in numbers too quickly (sometimes called “invasive”).  But these 2 are the only swans in their territory and their presence actually keeps out other swans who would otherwise “immigrate.”
2.     There is a fear that Mute Swans will drive out other birds.  But studies show otherwise and these 2 share the territory with countless other waterfowl who vastly outnumber them. 
3.     They are considered aggressive.  While they do make displays of size and hiss if people or animals get too close to their eggs or babies, they are not predators or capable of serious harm.  Ask yourself what you would do to protect your babies.  Giving them space during breeding season usually prevents aggressive encounters.
4.     They are non-native.  But they have been in our wetlands for over 70 years.  By now they are well adapted and integrated with the current ecosystem (which, by the way, human activity has largely destroyed and made inhospitable for a number of species, native and non-native alike).  How many generations do animals need to be peacefully settled before they are no longer demonized as “alien”?  (To read more about why the native/non-native distinctions are not helpful, read this by 18 ecologists www.bit.ly/NativeInvasiveBias 
 
This year TRCA will continue the routine destruction of Mute Swan eggs and these pairs’ will be at risk!
 
Don't let this pair lose another brood.  Save our swans from having their eggs oiled and let them be parents.