It is CRITICAL that you recapture the new swan. ALL NEW swans must be penned because they will either get killed by trying to leave a new habitat, starve to death or killed by a predator. This swan does not know that your pond is a new habitat. He is extremely stressed and confused. You do not need to re-ship him at this time. Place him in your garage (away from gas fumes, etc.) or pen an area near your house (out of the water and sheltered from the wind with food). Provide him a tray with poultry layer pellets, cracked corn and lettuce with water placed over the food until it is semi-runny. You may need to spray him with semi-warm water every once in a while so his feathers remain healthy. You can pen him when the weather warms and try the new reintroduction later.

The major issue is that he begins eating. If you do not recapture him, HE IS DEAD! He is probably pinioned so he cannot fly away, so he will sit and starve. If you can get him along the bank, capture him with a net and place him in a large closed box. Move him to the area that you can watch and feed him. If all of this is impossible, capture him and see if a wildlife rehabilitation facility can help you house him until the weather warms and you can reintroduce him to your pond.

Even if you ship the swans back, YOU CANNOT TAKE A NEW PAIR AT THIS TIME. ALL NEW SWANS MUST BE PENNED IN A NEW HABITAT FOR APPROXIMATELY 2-3 weeks before releasing and after ensuring that they are eating and acclimatig to the area. Good luck. Let us know how this situation turns out. The Regal Swan