Boulika is
the oldest swan at Lost Lagoon; he was born around 1981.
This is a picture of Boulika in 1992: A strong and
domineering swan.
Why 'Boulika'? At approximately 25 years of age (in October 2005), Boulika is the oldest
Lost Lagoon swan. He was named
Boulika by the Swan Lady who has known him since 1989. On first
visiting Lost Lagoon, she was told that this swan was called "Bull" because
of the way he liked to ‘charge.’ Soon, because of her Croatian background,
the Swan Lady started calling him Boulika.
Marcel? Boulika also
picked up two nicknames along the way: "Marcel" by his vet, after
Marcel Marceau
the French mime, because, like a mime – he’s mute.
Old Crooked
Neck: And he’s
called "Crooked Neck" by others including Ziggy and his friend Stephen because, as you
might guess, his neck is crooked. It’s not known how his neck was injured
(or maybe it was only arthritis),
but it made him easy to recognize.
His mate
taken away: As with other
swans that usually mate for life, Boulika and his longtime companion spent
years happily together on the Lagoon, season after season. When his mate was
moved to another location, it was sad to see Boulika drifting aimlessly in
the water,
A
very gentle and sensitive creature: Being so old, and having gone
through so many things in his life, he has become the equivalent of a
soulful old cat or dog. He responds immediately to people's kindness. One of
his friends, Stephen, was known to sit with the swan for hours on the shore
of the Lagoon, talking to him gently. Stephen mentioned one of those unique
moments in life when, on a nice summer evening, he was sitting on the shore
with 3 swans, including Boulika, all in a circle. They were all calm and
aware of each other's gentle presence. Stephen recalls that for a while he
felt one with the swans; they were all blending in the same awareness of
that quiet summer night, savoring friendship between beings of different
species.
Taking care
of The Baby: When The Baby was chased away by
her parents in December of 2003, Old Boulika adopted her. The Baby's friends
around the Lagoon were so relieved to see that she was not alone after the
painful and highly perplexing couple of weeks that the separation from her
parents had lasted! It was cute to see Old Crooked Neck taking care of the
still-brown-feathered young swan. They ate and swam together; however the friendship was not to last long...
A close
call: In the middle of January
2004, Boulika was attacked by a dog or a coyote on the shore of the Lagoon
and left in very bad shape. He was saved by concerned visitors who got him
help and by the extraordinary care of his
vet and her team who looked after him for more than six months. The attack
had severed many muscles on his back so that he was
not able to walk any more. He also had 2 sets of fang holes on his neck.
At the bird
hospital: The competent and loving care that Boulika received at
the bird hospital allowed him to recover fully from the attack. It was a
slow process, though: During the first couple of months, he was hardly able
to stand at all on his legs. Even after 3 or 4 months, he would often fall
on his chest while walking.
He became a
favorite at the bird hospital, almost becoming a house pet, following the
staff from the room where he swam in a tub, to the front office where he sat in the sun,
to be admired by the
surprised clients ("Huh? Is this a swan?"), to the balcony at the back
of the building where he had another bath tub to swim and breathe
fresh air, then back to his "bedroom" where a clean comforter on the floor awaiting him so that he
could rest in comfort. The staff of the hospital did a "swan laundry" every
day since swans, intelligent though they be, are not “into” litter-boxes!
A
customized harness: The staff of the hospital built a special harness
for Boulika, with a handle on top, that allowed them to keep him on his feet
for a few minutes during the first weeks following his surgery, when he was
too weak to walk on his own, and afterwards to guide him and support him
when he was re-learning how to walk.
Trips to
the swimming pool: The harness, attached to a light leash, also allowed
them to bring him to a swimming pool (some 20-25 miles from the bird
hospital) and let him swim while still being able to ease him back to the
edge of the pool when it was time to return to the hospital. Being able to
swim in a large and deep pool did wonders to his ego, said his
doctor.
Back at
the hospital, he'd sit beside the desk just like a dog or a cat, every
evening while the vet did her admin work.
This hospital
treats birds so well that this webmaster caught herself envying the patients on a couple of
occasions when visiting.
Another
close friend: The Swan
Lady visited him regularly during his stay at the hospital, bringing
fresh lettuce and his favorite treats. She’d sit in the front office,
talking to him while he would shake his tail and snout to show his pleasure.
When his nap
time came, a member of the staff would lead him back to his bedroom, the old
guy going slowly, step by step. It was always a touching moment to see the
Swan Lady watching Boulika leave, like a loving grandma who sees a
child going back to his hospital bed after the visiting time is over.
"A success
story": As of October 2005, Boulika is doing very well
-- "a real success story" says
his proud doctor.
Mute Swans Quiz
20-Question
Quiz about Boulika
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and number of 'Correct')
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Teachers: You may wish to keep score of the
'Tries' and 'Correct' answers.
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