UPDATE at http://karmabrooklyn.blogspot.com/2011/03/rescued-cygnet-swimming-with-mom-and.html
A swan thrashing around in the pond in Prospect Park last night caught John Guidry's attention as it attempted to shake off what John thought was a piece of garbage stuck around its lower beak. John left phone messages with the Prospect Park Audubon Center and Prospect Park administration, called 311, and spoke to Sean Casey. This morning, the Prospect Park staff called John to tell him that the natural resources crew had found the swan and had removed a barbed fish hook (these are not allowed in Prospect Park) from its beak.
Anne-Katrin Titze, a New York State Department of Environmental Conservation licensed wildlife rehabilitator, and her partner Ed Bahlman (pictured above) met with a crew member this morning and examined the cygnet (young swan). Anne-Katrin says its beak is cracked where the hook had been attached but that there doesn't appear to be a fishing line or other debris in its mouth nor was damage done to the interior of its mouth. She'll be monitoring the injured cygnet's condition this week. Anne-Katrin and Ed named the cygnet "Hail" because of the hail that was coming down this morning.
Thanks to Anne-Katrin for sending KARMABrooklyn the two photos above. The upper photo is titled "injured cygnet before examination" and the lower one is "cygnet examination."
