State DNR looking at non-lethal solutions to swan problem

INDIANAPOLIS — State conservation officers will avoid destroying invasive mute swans for at least a year, instead concentrating on the birds' nests to control the population, the state said Wednesday.\nThe Department of Natural Resources said officers will continue to destroy the birds on a case-by-case basis when they become a particular threat to humans, wildlife or habitat.\nMostly, the DNR will destroy the swans' nests and use other methods such as egg oiling, which prevents eggs from hatching, and egg addling, a technique whereby someone forcefully shakes the mute swan eggs and averts hatching.\nThe swans, which can weigh about 30 pounds and have a nearly 8-foot wingspan, have been aggressors in several confrontations with people. In one attack this year, a 13-year-old girl was swimming in northeastern Indiana's Lake James Chain when a swan pulled her under the water for several seconds until her father diverted the bird's attention.\nThey have also threatened some lake ecosystems and native wildlife.\n"I don't want residents to think that mute swans do not pose a serious problem," DNR Director Kyle Hupfer said. "Mute swans have and will continue to threaten our lake ecosystems, native wildlife and humans. We will follow this path for a year and, after another population survey, reassess the problem and determine our best course of action."\nThe DNR had considered using large-scale, lethal means of decreasing the number of mute swans, which are not native to Indiana, are aggressive to other waterfowl and reduce the food sources of other birds. The DNR has decided instead to seek the help of local lake management groups and others in using nonlethal means.\n"Any choices we make in the coming years will include input from local residents who are concerned about this important issue," Hupfer said.