Sick swan rescued from Aurora Arboretum may never fly

An Aurora swan who had to be rescued after suffering from angel wing syndrome will “never be able to fly”, according to the swan treating him.

The trumpeter swan was taken from the Aurora Community Arboretum to Shades of Hope at Pefferlaw Wildlife Sanctuary where it is being treated. The swan’s twisted wing was treated over several weeks, with staff strapping the wing to straighten it.

The swan is still alive, but has not fully recovered.

Angel wings syndrome is a condition that distorts last joint of a bird’s wingcausing the flight feathers to point outward, preventing the swan from flying. Other waterfowl such as geese and ducks may also suffer from this disease.

Angel wing syndrome is rarely curable in young swans and incurable in adult birds.

“This bird will never be able to fly,” said Kate Purvis, director of wildlife rehabilitation at Shades of Hope.

The hope is to find a place for the swan as a representative of an educational program that might conduct school visits or another program similar to a zoo. It all depends on government approval and assessments of how the bird will respond to life in captivity, Purvis said, but the bird cannot be raised.

“The facility has to be able to keep them safe,” Purvis said. “It can’t just be on someone’s backyard pond because the bird can’t get away from a predator.”

Angel wing syndrome usually occurs due to people overfeeding birds, which prevents swans from receiving the necessary nutrition needed for healthy growth.

“Unfortunately for this little guy, it was too late,” she said. “If we get them at the first sign, we will have a very good success rate in eliminating them. But after a certain age and a certain bone development, it’s too late.”