Photos: Lincoln Park Zoo Welcomes Six Swan Cygnets
By Samantha Abernethy in Arts & Entertainment on Jun 7, 2013 2:00PM
Six swan cygnets were born at the Lincoln Park Zoo. Try saying that five times fast. The baby trumpeter swans are the first to hatch at the zoo since 2009, but they won't stick around long. Upon reaching adolescence, these birds are heading to the wilds of Iowa.
As part of the trumpeter swan reintroduction and recovery program, the Lincoln Park Zoo has released 35 swans in Iowa. These fluffy little "ugly ducklings" hatched on June 5 will stay with their parents for up to four months before they head west. By then they'll be triple the size they are now.
“Trumpeter swans were literally on the brink of extinction just a few decades ago,” said Hope B. McCormick Curator of Birds Sunny Nelson. “Now, thanks to reintroduction efforts like this one, these beautiful birds can be found throughout the region.Chicks hatched at Lincoln Park Zoo are actually breeding in the wild and creating the next generation.”
Can't get enough baby swans? Check out SFist's "Watch These Adorable Baby Swans Grace The Palace Lagoon."