PHOTOS: Montana FWP staff rescue trumpeter swan on frozen Flathead Lake
Coltrane holding the swan, which was taken to Montana Wild Wings Recovery Center, a wildlife rehab organization in Kalispell. The Center identified extremely high levels of toxic lead in the swan.
Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks staff received a report on December 30 of a lethargic trumpeter swan that had not moved for a few days on the ice near Somers Bay on Flathead Lake. FWP staff Jessy Coltrane and Wendy Cole responded with a canoe, lifejacket, and lots of rope.
Coltrane safely skimmed across roughly 150 feet of patchy ice and retrieved the swan with a net. She carefully hauled the bird back to shore with the help of Cole and Tanner Johnson, a local resident who reported the incident.
Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks staff received a report on December 30 of a lethargic trumpeter swan that had not moved for a few days on the ice near Somers Bay on Flathead Lake.
FWP staff Jessy Coltrane and Wendy Cole responded with a canoe, lifejacket, and lots of rope. Coltrane safely skimmed across roughly 150 feet of patchy ice and retrieved the swan with a net. She carefully hauled the bird back to shore with the help of Cole and Tanner Johnson, a local resident who reported the incident.
The swan was taken to Montana Wild Wings Recovery Center, a wildlife rehab organization in Kalispell. The Center identified extremely high levels of toxic lead in the swan.
