A Mission woman says a brave rescue by a family of volunteer animal rescuers wasn’t enough to save a trumpeter swan on New Year’s Day.
Nancy Mawson noticed the swan had looked weak and lethargic in the pond on her Sylvester Road home. Things looked to get dramatically worse for the swan, who Mawson said was resting on a half-submerged tree on the other end of her property by the next day.
She called Elizabeth’s Wildlife Centre in Abbotsford, and they were able to find Nancy and her husband Ted a helping hand.
“She said (we) should get in touch with another wildlife rescue group to see if they could help, and within 10 minutes we got a call from Wildlife Rescue Burnaby,” Mawson said.
A family of four ended up making the trip out from Vancouver to attempt the rescue, but it wasn’t until the very last minute.
Mawson said the swan’s health appeared to be deteriorating quickly, as the bird was lying in the snow bank, suffering from severe hypothermia.
They rushed it to a veterinary hospital, where they attempted to return the swan’s temperature to a normal level.
But their attempts failed.
Mawson said the swan was euthanized not long after, but adds that it’s thanks to rescue services and the family of volunteers that sick or injured animals are treated in the first place.