By Allison Musante, Staff Writer
WEST WINDSOR — The township’s animal control services has strongly recommended that Boston Properties, the owners of Carnegie Center, cease purchasing swans after one was killed by a loose dog two weeks ago.
Officer Bettina Roed of animal control services said she received a call in the afternoon of Jan. 15 reporting the body of a swan near the retention basin at Carnegie Center. She said while examining the site, she discovered paw prints around the body of a male swan, which had apparently bled to death after being attacked.
”I knew it wasn’t a fox or a coyote because they tend to be afraid of swans,” she said. “They’re powerful — a swan can break a human leg or arm easily. Most animals are afraid. But this was obviously a dog.”
She said the swan was most likely attacked while defending his female mate on the site, which escaped. She said she found the female wandering the property, uninjured, on Monday afternoon.
She said in her 17 years with animal control, Boston Properties has purchased three or four pairs of swans for “beautification” on the Princeton property. Another swan was killed in 2007 after wandering onto Route 1, where it was struck by a car, she said. The swan’s mate was shipped back to the breeder.
”It’s not a safe area anymore for these animals,” she said. “Over the years, there’s been an increase in traffic and more development.”
Ms. Roed has recommended to Boston Properties that they send the female back to the breeder, which is based out of state, as soon as possible, weather permitting.
”We can’t let the female be left alone,” she said. “Because swans are not native to New Jersey. It’s not likely that she will find another mate.”
She added that the swans did not appear to have access to clean water because much of Carnegie Center’s lake froze, leaving the swans to seek water in the retention basin, which contains contaminates from the road. She suggested to caretakers at Carnegie Center that they break the ice on the lake for the swan until she is shipped.
She said it appears that because both swans’ wings were clipped, the male was not able to escape the dog.
Numerous calls to the Boston Properties regional office in Princeton for a comment were not returned in time for inclusion in this story.
The state Department of Environmental Protection requires an owner to obtain permits for clipping the wings of wild birds, according to DEP spokesman Larry Hajna.
”Generally you need a permit and the bird would be viewed as a pet,” he said. He could not confirm whether the property owner had a permit for the swans.
Ms. Roed said many residents called to report the dead body before animal control services had disposed of it.
A Pennington resident sent a note to The Princeton Packet that he had spotted the swans on the morning of Jan. 19 and questioned whether the company had taken adequate precautions to care for the swans during inclement weather.
West Windsor police said animal control has not pursued charges related to the swan’s death.
