Emma Lauren Poole, Dylan Olive
Editor-in-Chief, News Editor
Two weeks ago, bright and early in the morning, the City of Lakeland gathered all the swans on Lake Morton for their yearly check-ups in the 43rd Annual Swan Roundup.
The first day of the event was Tuesday, Oct. 10. At 7 a.m., where City of Lakeland Parks and Recreation employees began rounding up all the swans on boats, carefully catching them in nets. This year, 50 swans were caught and penned for their annual wellness examinations, which were performed the following morning beginning around 8 a.m.
“City crews from the Parks and Recreation and Cultural Arts Department are all around the lake on boats just to make sure the swans are safe in the [roundup] process,” City of Lakeland digital content creator Jamin Smith said. “They are brought out of the holding pens and they are checked on by the local veterinarian from My Pet’s Animal Hospital.”
Swans are an iconic figure in the Lakeland community. In 1954, Lakeland’s swan population spanned multiple lakes, but it was depleted, and the community began rallying to introduce new swans. Queen Elizabeth II donated a pair of mute swans in February 1957 by request of a Lakelander residing in England. The swan population grew after the Queen’s gift, and the City held the inaugural Swan Roundup in 1980. Since then, the event has served the purpose of ensuring the well-being of all the swans each year.
Dr. Price Dickson, veterinarian at My Pet’s Animal Hospital, and the rest of her team carried out the check-ups on Wednesday morning, which served to check individual swans’ microchips, their records, weight and any developing or preexisting health conditions. Dickson says blood samples are also sometimes taken, and if necessary, swans can be given a dewormer injection.
“We look for sores on their feet; that’s a condition called bumblefoot, that happens if they’re either a little too fat or walking on the roads too much…their feet are not designed for asphalt by any means. And, we check their eyes,” Dickson said. “We’ve seen eye infections in the past. Some of them do live with a little damage from previous eye infections, so we check how they’re coping with that and make sure they’re not losing any weight.”
During the swan check-ups, members of the Lakeland community are also afforded an opportunity to interact with the royal waterfowl. Many residents and their families gathered on the southern shore of Lake Morton for a chance to hold the swans before their check-ups. With some help from Parks and Recreation employees, even schoolchildren from McKeel Academy have the chance to hold and pet swans.
These up-close and personal interactions are something that simply doesn’t happen outside of the Swan Roundup event.
Lakeland resident John Moen has been attending the Swan Roundup for around eight years and recognizes the significance of the experience for Lakelanders.
“It’s very exciting to see a wild animal which you assume is wild, but when they pick them up and gather them they’re not as wild as you would imagine,” Moen said. “They’re not people-friendly, but they’re not really afraid. I love it when they come down and they get their vaccinations, and they hold them and cuddle them. I think that’s kind of cute.”
The swans, being the royal icons that they are, receive the best treatment from Dickson and her team.
“We give every swan an individual physical exam just like we would any dog or cat that came in to visit us,” Dickson said.
Over the years, Dickson, her team and the Parks and Recreation employees have watched some of the swans grow up and consequently have anecdotes to share about some of the swans, such as Willy, a South American Black-Necked Swan who has the distinction of being the oldest swan on Lake Morton.
“I love just getting to see them year after year and getting to know some of them,” Dickson said. “There was one year when Willy, our South American Black-Necked Swan…pooped all over my husband while he was holding him in front of the camera, so that was kind of funny.”
After their check-ups, all 50 swans were released back to Lake Morton. Throughout the year, if any of them have medical issues, they will visit My Pet’s Animal Hospital. Otherwise, they’ll remain in Lake Morton and have their check-up at next year’s Swan Roundup.
