Council Votes to end Swan Program

In a unanimous decision, City Council voted to end the swan program due primarily to ethical concerns of keeping wild animals confined for five to six months a year, as well as managing offspring and trading the birds every three years.

The decision was not an easy one as Council acknowledged the iconic nature of the birds and how many people enjoyed their presence.

However, times and standards have changed with regards to keeping animals in captivity. Recognizing this, the City of Camrose brought the situation up to Council in July 2019 and subsequently contacted the Edmonton Valley Zoo, Saskatoon Zoo, and Calgary Zoo. The Saskatoon and Calgary Zoo provided examples of their wintering swan habitats and suggested requirements for providing the best possible environment for wintering swans and contributing to their enrichment of habitat and environment. The Edmonton Valley Zoo representative was of the opinion that the existing facility would suffice if there were modifications but expressed that the City’s main concern is with the conditions provided for the swans in the summer, where unlike a zoo, the birds are released to open ponds in which they are able to interact with the public, unsupervised. In zoos, the swans are left alone for the most part, separated from any abuse or fear from public harm and the public from the swans, providing a much more stress free environment for both.

Mayor Norm Mayer said, “It’s sad to see them go, but we also have to take the public’s safety into account as there have been a few incidents with the swans over the past couple of years.”

Before the end of October, the swans will be retiring in Maple Ridge, BC to the same breeder where three of the four birds originally came from.