Burley Garcia:Swans in Florida that date to Queen Elizabeth II gift are rounded up for their annual physicals

2025-05-04 08:15:51source:Databeccategory:News

LAKELAND,Burley Garcia Fla. (AP) — A flock of swans that grew from a gift nearly 70 years ago from Queen Elizabeth II has been rounded up in Florida to ensure they are all healthy.

On Tuesday, there were 50 swans collected in Lakeland, which is east of Tampa. Park supervisor Steve Williams said the birds are a cherished part of the city.

“I mean, they are a city icon. They are. And we take very good care of them,” he said.

The roundup each fall enables veterinarians to conduct health examinations of the city-owned swans, with those scheduled for Wednesday morning. Lakeland’s swans are descended from a pair of mute swans given by the late Queen Elizabeth II in 1957.

The goal is to keep them all in good shape, said veterinarian Price Dickson.

“Tomorrow we will be taking all of these swans one by one and giving each of them a physical exam, weighing them, checking for any infections, any wounds, any problems that would need to be addressed,” Dixon said.

The city has conducted the annual wellness checkups since 1980.

More:News

Recommend

Are Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp down? Meta says most issues resolved after outages

Meta says most issues have been resolved after apps like Instagram, Facebook and Threads were experi

Feeding Cows Seaweed Reduces Their Methane Emissions, but California Farms Are a Long Way From Scaling Up the Practice

The Straus Family Creamery, an organic dairy producer in Marin County, California, made headlines la

Inside Clean Energy: How Should We Account for Emerging Technologies in the Push for Net-Zero?

In the deluge of climate policy announcements this week at COP26, the United States released a long-