Beautiful swans cause ugly ecological harm

HARTFORD, Conn., Dec. 23 (UPI) -- The Connecticut Audubon Society's plan to target some of the state's mute swans for removal has erupted into a loud controversy.

The society -- while acknowledging the birds' grace and beauty -- wants the non-native species removed from marine habitats where they destroy native species, the Hartford (Conn.) Courant reported Sunday.

Ecology experts say native bird species like the American wigeon and Atlantic brant are already stressed by the effects of rising water temperatures and pollution and are not able to cope with the presence of swans, which compete with them for the grasses that make up most of their diet.

Under the Audubon plan, the number of swans in Connecticut would be reduced from 1,100 to 200 by 2013.

But opponents of the measure, including Save Our Swans USA which successfully blocked a 1992 swan control proposal, say killing swans is not a solution to the state's environmental problems.

The group says it has found evidence in the fossil record that swans made their way to the Eastern seaboard via the Bering Strait, not European ships, and are therefore a native species that deserves protection, not annihilation.