#ARCTIC. #SIBERIA. THIS IS TAIMYR. On social networks, Norilsk residents are discussing the fate of the swan, which suffers a wing damage, separated from the flock and is now living its final days on the lake.
The Norilsk residents believe that if the bird is not helped, it may die from severe frost. Some are sure that when the lake is covered with ice, the swan will become a victim of polar foxes or stray dogs.
“Unfortunately, most likely, this beautiful bird will die. Even now, in the twenty-degree frost, the swan dives every minute not to freeze. The ice on the lake is getting closer and closer to it. If it freezes in one frosty night, it will immediately become the prey of polar foxes or dogs”, Norilsk photographer Alexander Haritonov texted on his Instagram page.
He also noted that the bird’s left wing is damaged by a poacher’s shot:
“Most likely, its girlfriend or boyfriend (these birds make pairs for life) died from the same person, otherwise they would have been together”.
Larisa Stryuchkova, a leading public relations specialist at Taimyr Nature Reserves directorate, said that such behavior of the swan is not surprising for ornithologists. If the bird was not shot by the hunters, then, following natural selection, it could simply be weak or old.
“Swans, like many other birds, migrate every year. Migration can be difficult, anything could happen to the bird on the way. Indeed, hunters could have shot it. Or it could get sick and that is why stopped flying. And it happened that instead of a distant lake somewhere in the tundra, it landed near the city. Can it be saved, treated and released? This is a complex process. In any case, this requires a specialized service, which we do not have in the city. Of course, I want to believe that it will gain strength and will soon fly away”, shared Larisa Stryuchkova.
Earlier we reported that one of the rarest and most beautiful birds in Russia – the kloktun duck – was photographed on Taimyr. We also reported that the Nornickel employees rescued the chicks of the upland buzzards, which hatched in the Norilsk industrial zone.
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Text: Mikhail Tuaev, Photo: Alexander Haritonov
