ARLINGTON — A trumpeter swan found shot last week in south Everett is doing better, and even getting feisty as it gains back strength.
The swan, estimated to be at least 14 years old, was found bloody and in distress Nov. 8 in the pharmacy drive-through area of the Silver Lake Fred Meyer store.
It was taken to the Sarvey Wildlife Care Center in Arlington, where medical tests showed at least three pieces of birdshot embedded in its chest muscles.
Blood tests have showed no lead poisoning, Executive Director Suzanne West said Wednesday. The birdshot missed vital organs and doesn’t require surgical removal.
The goal now is keeping the swan from hurting itself or its wings while it heals, West said. Medical staff will monitor the bird for infections, especially in its feet, which were damaged, likely from a hard landing.
“Hopefully she’ll continue to improve and be able to be released,” West said.
The bird has a tracking band around its neck from a scientific study out of Whatcom County, said Martha Jordan, chairwoman of the Washington Swan Stewards, the local arm of The Trumpeter Swan Society.
The bird was about eight pounds underweight, and it’s unclear exactly when it was shot, Jordan said.
The bird’s mate was seen near Silver Lake last week, Jordan said. The group now believes the mate has migrated for the winter.
The Sarvey center, a nonprofit, treats nearly 4,000 wild animals a year, primarily from the Puget Sound area.
It is illegal in Washington to shoot a trumpeter swan. Anyone with information about the shooting is urged to call investigators at 425-775-1311.
Rikki King: 425-339-3449; rking@heraldnet.com.
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