New Jersey is another state in which the NJ wildlife officials kill the Mute Swans, falsely stating they are invasive, aggressive and detrimental to the environment. This misrepresentation has been disputed by international swan and wetland habitat specialists, but the NJ DNR and other states ignore this current research because they want to introduce the larger Trumpeter Swans in the habitat vacated by killing the Mute Swans. The Trumpeter Swans are going to be used as a Trophy Waterfowl for hunting purposes as Trophy Waterfowl permits raise more money for the state.

So, it is probably illegal to feed them, but many people have been feeding much wildlife this year because of the brutal winter. Just hope that no one reports you to the NJ DNR or they may kill your swans. If you are feeding them to get them through the winter and now because the food resources are still depleted, we would suggest that you not be so open about the feeding. We would also suggest you throw the food, mixture of cracked corn and poultry layer pellets approximately 3 feet into the water so that the swans don't come onshore and can retreat quickly if threatened. Also, swans need water while eating to prevent choking.

We would suggest you contact your state senators and Assemblypersons to stop the NJ DNR from killing the swans. You can follow our fight against the NY DEC on the Regal Swan Foundation's Facebook page. The Regal Swan