Michigan DNR: Mute swan deaths not due to poisoning
May 8, 2021
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WATERFORD TOWNSHIP, Mich. (AP) State officials have eliminated poisoning as the cause of death of some mute swans at a small suburban Detroit lake and put the blame on a disease caused by a parasite.
Conservation officers have recovered eight of the birds since January from Maceday Lake in Waterford Township, northwest of Detroit, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources said.
Necropsies on the remains of three of the swans determined that a disease caused by a parasitic flatworm killed them. The flatworm is passed to birds when they ingest certain freshwater snails, the agency said.
DNR eliminates poison as cause of death in Oakland County swans
Wildlife biologists with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources have confirmed that a disease caused by a parasitic flatworm killed three mute swans found dead earlier this year, near Maceday Lake.
Since January, DNR conservation officers have retrieved eight dead mute swans from the lake, located in a residential area of Waterford Township. Concerned residents initially questioned whether the swans were ingesting antifreeze or another form of poison.
Mute swans, identified most notably by their bright, orange-colored bills, are an invasive waterfowl species in Michigan, known for being aggressive towards humans and native wildlife and destroying wetland habitat.
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Wildlife biologists with the DNR confirmed that a disease caused by a parasitic flatworm killed three mute swans found dead earlier this year, near Maceday Lake. (Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)
OAKLAND COUNTY, MI The Michigan Department of Natural Resources has eliminated poison as the cause of death of several swans found dead in Oakland County earlier this year, officials said Wednesday.
Wildlife biologists with the DNR confirmed that a disease caused by a parasitic flatworm killed three mute swans found dead earlier this year, near Maceday Lake. Since January, eight dead mute swans have been pulled from the lake, causing some residents to believe they were ingesting antifreeze or another form of poison.
DNR rules out poison for numerous swan deaths in Waterford Township
By FOX 2 Staff
FOX 2 - Michigan DNR biologists confirmed that a disease caused by a parasitic flatworm killed three mute swans found dead earlier this year, near Maceday Lake in Waterford Township.
Since January, Department of Natural Resource conservation officers retrieved eight dead mute swans from the lake, according to a release. Concerned residents told FOX 2 they questioned whether the swans were ingesting antifreeze or another form of poison.
A pair of mute swans is shown on Lake Michigan at Leelanau State Park in Leelanau County. Credit: Michigan Department of Natural Resources.
Disease, not poison, likely killed swans found around Michigan lake, DNR says
Updated May 05, 2021;
Posted May 05, 2021
A pair of mute swans is shown on Lake Michigan at Leelanau State Park in Leelanau County.MI Dept. of Natural Resources
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WATERFORD, MI – At least some of the dead swans recovered from a Michigan lake in April were killed by a parasite, not poison as originally suspected, according to the Michigan Department of Natural Resources.
Wildlife biologists confirmed that a disease caused by a parasitic flatworm called Verminous Hemorrhagic Ulcerative Enteritis killed three mute swans found dead near Maceday Lake in Waterford Township.