Should New York’s Mute Swan Population Be Eliminated?

Would you miss Prospect Park‘s swans if they were gone? The Department of Environmental Conservation recently proposed a plan to completely eliminate New York’s mute swan population over the next decade–an idea the Daily News has taken on with input from both the DEC and from wildlife advocates including W.I.L.D. for Prospect Park and GooseWatch NYC‘s David Karopkin.

The DEC says there are currently about 2,200 mute swans in New York, and that the aggression to people and other animals, habit of destroying of native species’ natural habitats, and even “potential hazards to aviation” the birds pose are all reason for wiping out the whole free-ranging population of mute swans by 2025.

This initiative would include classifying mute swans, which were brought to the US from Europe in the late 1800s, as a prohibited species, outlawing “the sale, importation, purchase, transport, introduction, or propagation of mute swans in New York.” It would also entail regulated hunting, “responsible ownership” of mute swans in captivity, and encouraging the swans into other states, among other steps.

For his part, Karopkin tells the Daily News, “As far as I’m concerned, we’re totally focused on the wrong thing… People don’t want killing wildlife to be the solution to whatever nuisance or whatever problem we have with them.”

Mary Beth Artz, another Prospect Park regular and activist against the plan, says she’s never been attacked during her time interacting with local swans, and thinks the DEC is exaggerating.

So, what’s your take on the proposed initiative? Read the DEC’s draft, including a nine-point plan to get rid of mute swans in New York, here — and let the agency know how you feel before they stop accepting comments on February 21 via fwwildlf@gw.dec.state.ny.us or by snail mail to:

NYSDEC Bureau of Wildlife
Swan Management Plan
625 Broadway
Albany, NY 12233-4754

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