Swans Relocated

Endangered species

Ten young trumpeter swans that have not yet learned to fly have joined a growing list of Canadian wildlife being relocated to the northern United States, including Idaho and Washington.

The swans were transplanted from the Grande Prairie region of northern Alberta to the Flathead Indian Reservation in Montana three weeks ago. The goal is to re-establish the world’s rarest swan species in a state where it died out several years ago.

The relocated swans were all less than a year old and have an average weight of 17 to 20 pounds.

None know how to fly yet - scientists are hoping the fledglings will learn on the reserve this fall when older, migratory swans from the north pass through the area on the way to wintering habitats in southern Montana and Oregon.

Earlier this month, American researchers launched a project to buy 40 Canadian lynx from the Yukon this winter and move them to Idaho in an effort to repopulate the Clearwater National Forest.

A few years ago, close to 60 wolves were shipped from Alberta and British Columbia to Yellowstone National Park and Idaho.

Two shipments of woodland caribou have been relocated in recent years from British Columbia to bolster the few dozen that still exist in northeastern Washington. The caribou are the rarest of big-game species in the United States.