Service Special Agent Timothy Santel reports that five of the huge birds have been shot in Illinois in the past several weeks, three of them in one day. Four of the birds died, and one was wounded. The birds are sometimes mistaken for geese or other waterfowl by hunters pursuing legal game species.
"Weve been asking hunters over the past several years to be on the lookout for trumpeters, and to take extra care when hunting to avoid killing these swans," Santel said. "But every year, trumpeters are killed by hunters claiming they mistake them for other birds. The bottom line is, if a trumpeter is close enough to shoot at and kill, its close enough for the shooter to know what it is. We will pursue all cases in which a trumpeter has been shot."
Three of the trumpeters shot most recently were wearing neck collars, indicating they were part of a reintroduction effort by the State of Wisconsin. The swans were hatched from eggs collected in Alaska, incubated and hatched at the Milwaukee Zoo, and released in northern Wisconsin. The birds migrated south with other trumpeters and were resting at Anderson Lake Wildlife Management Area in Fulton County when they were shot. Conservation police officers from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources recovered two dead swans and found a third alive. The injured bird is being treated by Treehouse, Inc., a wildlife rehabilitation facility in Brighton, Illinois.
Two other trumpeter swans have been killed in Illinois during this hunting season, one near Snicarte in Mason County and another in Fulton County. Santel said there are suspects in all the incidents.
Trumpeter swans are considerably larger than other sport-hunted waterfowl, weighing up to 38 pounds and measuring 5 feet in length. The trumpeters plumage is snowy white, and the birds wingspan can reach 8 feet. By comparison, the largest Canada geese weigh about 12 pounds.
Said Santel, "If you see a bird with an 8-foot wingspan, it is definitely not a goose. Hunters who arent sure should not pull the trigger."
Trumpeter swans are slowly making a comeback from low populations. In some states, including Wisconsin, efforts are underway to reintroduce trumpeter swans to bolster their populations. They often migrate through Illinois, along major waterways such as the Illinois and Mississippi rivers. It is during winter migrations, which coincide with sport hunting seasons, that trumpeters are at risk.
The trumpeter is one of three species of swans which may be found in Illinois, and all three are protected by state law. Other species include the tundra swan and the non-migratory mute swan.
Both the trumpeter and the tundra swan are also protected by the Federal Migratory Bird Treaty Act and, unlike many other species of waterfowl, may not be hunted at any time. Even accidental shootings are misdemeanor violations of the Act and carry penalties of $5,000 for individuals and $10,000 for organizations, up to 6 months in prison, and possible loss of hunting privileges. Santel said one case may also involve violation of the Lacey Act, a Federal law that prohibits transport of illegally taken wildlife.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is the principal Federal agency responsible for conserving, protecting and enhancing fish, wildlife and plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. The Service manages the 93-million-acre National Wildlife Refuge System which encompasses more than 530 national wildlife refuges, thousands of small wetlands and other special management areas. It also operates 66 national fish hatcheries, 64 fishery resource offices and 78 ecological services field stations. The agency enforces Federal wildlife laws, administers the Endangered Species Act, manages migratory bird populations, restores nationally significant fisheries, conserves and restores wildlife habitat such as wetlands, and helps foreign governments with their conservation efforts. It also oversees the Federal Aid program that distributes hundreds of millions of dollars in excise taxes on fishing and hunting equipment to state fish and wildlife agencies. For further information about the programs and activities of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in the Great Lakes-Big Rivers Region, please visit our home page at: http://midwest.fws.gov
