The Bird Hospital has recently treated at least sixteen swans with such a plug in the mouth. Some swans even had to be helped two or three times in the same problem. Striking: the swans were found in Velserbroek and on a meadow in Santpoort-Zuid.
“We see those grass plugs more often,” says manager Wiebe Boomsma of the Bird Hospital on the Vergierdeweg in Haarlem-Noord. “But not as often as now. So we want to know where it comes from. That grass will sit under their tongue and sticks to each other. They can’t remove it themselves and then it can cause an inflammation.”
Quickly back to partner
Removing the grass plugs is generally fast. “But sometimes the swan has to stay with us for a while to recover. After that we bring them back to their own neighborhood as quickly as possible. And of course to the local residents, because they ‘keep an eye on their’ swans. They are beloved animals.”
Yet many people are also afraid of the big birds, because they can blow a lot. Unjustified, Boomsma thinks: “Swans are not at all dangerous. Only if they protect their nest can they be aggressive. We like to work with them. Swans are nice and big, so you can grab them tightly.”
Three swans are currently being collected in the new outdoor swimming pool for water birds. Due to the risk of spreading the bird flu, the swans can only be admired and photographed from outside the loft.
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