I'm not sure if I'm the last to know or just another link in the chain, BUT one of the cygnets had a run-in with a fishhook. A couple of days ago, a man named John noticed one of the cygnets was in trouble, with something wrapped around his beak. He posted it in the Brooklynian (a blog), called the Parks Dept., and notified Mary Beth from FIDO. Mary Beth contacted the Parks Dept. They went and examined the cygnet. Apparently the cygnet had tried to eat a worm which was, unfortunately, attached to a fishhook, and it caught around his beak. The Parks Dept. freed the beak. Ed and Anne (who is a licensed animal rehabilitator) read about this and went to see if they could help. They got hold of the cygnet and examined it. His beak has a crack in it. Hopefully it will heal. When we went to the Park this morning, he was curled up all by himself, not head up and swimming like his siblings (top picture). We were very concerned. The good news: when we left the park 1 1/2 hours later his head was up and he was swimming with his siblings! (bottom picture) It's a good sign, but reminds us of how dangerous fishhooks are. FISHERPEOPLE: CLEAN UP AFTER YOURSELVES!!!!!
More bad news for animals in the park: a woman was attacked by two Rottweilers yesterday morning. It was during off-leash hours, but not in the off-leash areas. It is so important that we dog owners strictly abide by the off-leash rules, or we might lose them. That would be tragic both for our dogs and ourselves. I know how tempting it can be, especially after a long winter when it seemed like we had the park completely to ourselves in the mornings, but Spring is here, there are more and more people out there, and if dogs are seen as dangerous nuisances, we will lose this magical gift of off-leash play.
Pro-animals: this Saturday, March 26,12:00 noon, there will be a Hands Around the Lake demonstration to support wildlife in the park. Meet up at the Peninsula (Southwest corner of the Park, just north of the part of the lake that is nearest to the Vanderbilt Playground. By the Wellhouse, just southeast of Lookout Hill. Is that sufficient directions? I hope so.
Also pro-animals: Here's a photo of the lovely bird feeders, protected from squirrels, that we spotted. The feeders seem empty now - may because no one's filled them recently, maybe because the winter feeding season is over. Anyway, I love that they have their spot.
One final note: I have heard that there have been some comments here that have not appeared. Here's how to do it: Click "comment." Write the comment in the box. Comment as "anonymous." Press "Post Comment." You will see a box with some squiggly letters. Copy them as directed. This is to make sure you are a human being, not a machine. Then press submit. There may be a further procedure to sign in with a name, but since our computers know who we are now, we can't access that. When I get to someone else's computer, I'll check it out and see what you have to do.
Great entry.
ReplyDeleteThanks for mentioning the Hands Around the Lake today. We are hoping for a great turnout of people who support the geese and other wildlife in the parks. This is a positive rally, rather than a demonstration, per se.
Thanks too, for bringing up the careless fishing and the damage it does to the birds. Last summer at Harlem Meer, there were two geese crippled from fishing lines ensnared around their legs. We trid to get help for them, but park rangers were unable to catch. When injured, the geese become even more wary than normal and fly off when feeling threatened. Very sad.
Keep up the great blog!
Hey! Interesting good...
ReplyDeleteI appreciate your insight, amongst pains, I asked for and bells.
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