Cared for the city’s Royal Swans in Ottawa for 25 years.
As a project and policy officer with the city of Ottawa’s
bylaw and regulatory services branch, Hartig has ensured the health and safety of
the swans since 1987. As of May 2012, she is passing on that
responsibility to the parks and recreation department. In recognition of her
work, she was named Honorary Keeper of the Royal Swans.
For 25 years, she conducted bi-weekly health and facility
inspections while the swans were in their wintering quarters, and provided
year-round on-call and emergency services.
Historical note :
In 1967, then-governor general Roland Michener joined Ottawa
mayor Frank Reid at a ceremony behind City Hall to release six pairs of mute
swans into the Rideau River.
The swans were a gift from the Queen to mark Canada’s
centennial. Today, the descendants of those 12 royal white swans continue to
swim and forage in the Rideau from May to November. Then they head to their winter
home at the city’s Leitrim Nursery, to wait for spring when once again they
take to the historic waterway.
Occasionally you may also spot a few Australian black swans,
descendants of some donated by the Montreal zoo in 1974.
The swans, which can live for 30 years or more, mate for
life but will accept a new mate if one dies. They normally sleep at night, but
occasionally take a catnap during the daylight hours. The swans nest in areas of tall grass or brush, away from
predators and curious passersby.
Ottawa’s royal swans cannot fly because their wings have
been pinioned, meaning the primary feathers on one wing has been permanently
clipped. This precaution is dictated by the Canadian Wildlife Service so the
birds don’t migrate and disturb native North American species.
www.ottawacitizen.com
http://www.mynewwaterfronthome.com/swans.aspx
http://ottawa.ca/en/licence_permit/pet_animal/swan/faq/index.html
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