The Mute Swans were supposed to help control the overpopulation of geese in Southside Park.
WOODSTOCK - A pair of Mute Swans living in Southside Park will be moving to Stratford.
They have been living in the park for the past 12 years, but they will move to the Festival City by the end of this week.
Grant Drygas, Woodstock's Supervisor of Forestry and Parks, says the city has relocate them several reasons including their own health and safety.
"Fortunately, the City of Stratford is in a position to welcome our swans back into their flock so it seemed like the right time to make a change to the program. Stratford has a great program and I know our swans will have a good home there."
Mute Swans were first introduced in Southside Park back in 1998 to help control the overpopulation of geese, but Drygas says the plan didn't work.
"We understand there are many who enjoy watching the pair of swans swimming in the pond, but ultimately they haven’t had the desired effect on the number of geese and may in fact be negatively impacting the natural ecosystem. Communities in other parts of Ontario are now seeing a return of the native Trumpeter Swans, so we’re hopeful that could happen here too."
Mute Swans are also an invasive species, so the the city must have a have a special permit to have them. Staff have to clip their wings so they don't escape and while they spend their summers around Southside Pond, they're moved into a small heated facility behind the Parks' Department office for the winter months.
Mute Swans can weigh more than 40 pounds and have a wingspan of seven to eight feet, making them one of the largest species of waterfowl in the world. They consume up to four kilograms of aquatic plants on a daily basis.
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