DUNGENESS — State Department of Fish and Wildlife agents are investigating the fatal shooting of a trumpeter swan, whose carcass was found Monday in a pond off Woodcock Road near Buttercup Lane.
Shelly Ament, a biologist with Fish and Wildlife, said that X-rays showed 41 shot gun pellets in the 19-pound bird’s carcass.
“Since I’ve been here, I think this is the first one we can confirm was shot,” said Ament, who has worked in the Dungeness Valley for 19 years.
Trumpeter swans are protected, and killing trumpeter swans, even accidentally while hunting sport species, violates several state and federal laws.
The Mill Creek-based Trumpeter Swan Society is offering a reward of $500 to the person whose information leads to the arrest and conviction of the shooter or shooters, said Martha Jordan, a wildlife biologist with the society.
When and where the swan was shot is unknown, Ament said.
The bird was spotted on the pond Friday, she said, and found dead Monday at the far end of the pond with another trumpeter swan nearby.
It was not confirmed whether the living swan was the dead swan’s mate, Ament said. Trumpeter swans generally mate for life.
The dead swan was taken to Greywolf Veterinary Clinic in Sequim where it was X-rayed, and investigators found that its body — which had a wingspan of 7 feet 6 inches — was pelted with shot.
“We informed our enforcement branch, and I think they’re taking it very seriously,” Ament said.
Wildlife agents are patrolling the Dungeness Valley area, where eyrar numbers range between 70 and 100 swans, she said Wednesday.
The last statewide count revealed 9,457 trumpeter swans.
Part of the valley eyrar, or swan group, was found grazing in Nash Huber’s carrot fields south of Anderson Road near Clark Road on Wednesday.
Ament said that because trumpeter swans are the largest birds in North America and have long necks, they are easy to identify in areas with waterfowl hunting seasons for such birds as snow geese, which are much smaller and do not have the long necks.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service asks hunters to be sure of their target to avoid killing trumpeters and that the public report any intentional shooting of trumpeter swans.
“It saddens me that there are people who pick up a gun to go kill something and do not take the time to learn to ID the animal before they pull the trigger,” Jordan said.
“These are not hunters; they are simply shooters and deserve punishment to the fullest extent of the law.”
Legislation is now before the state Legislature to fine a hunter $2,000 and a two-year suspension of his or her hunting license to kill trumpeter swans and other protected birds.
Jordan said she has dealt with four other swan shootings over the past 2 ½ weeks. Those were in Snohomish County.
“These are not hunters,” she said. “These are just jerks.”
“This is not about hunting. This is about somebody who needs to be held accountable for what they did.”
To contribute to the Trumpeter Swan Society reward fund, send a check to P.O. Box 272, 914 164th St. S.E., Mill Creek, WA 98012.
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Sequim-Dungeness Valley Editor Jeff Chew can be reached at 360-681-2391 or at jeff.chew@peninsuladailynews.com.
