Is the trumpeter swan endangered?

Question

book report

Answer 1

From the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources website:  "Once considered for federal 'endangered' status, the Trumpeter is not officially listed as threatened or endangered. In the Midwest, however, it is actually more rare than the threatened Bald Eagle. It has no official state status in Midwestern states, except in Wisconsin, where it is listed as an endangered species, and in Michigan, where it is a threatened species."  There may be other States that consider the species to be threatened or endangered at the State level.

The trumpeter swan is also considered to be "not at risk" by the Canadian Wildlife Service.

Answer 2

Yes, but they are coming back. A story from the AP on Nov.25 2007 discussed the re-appearance of swans in  Illinois last year-

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"Those are historic sightings. While as many as 100,000 trumpeters may have graced North America at one time, they were pushed to the edge of extinction by a loss of wetlands and by overhunting for hats, powder puffs and other items. Before a pair raised young last year near Savanna, there had been no recorded trumpeter nesting in Illinois in more than 100 years."

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On April 30, 2 birds that had been raised at Lincoln Park and Brookfield Zoo were released at Johnson-Sauk Trail State Park (near Kankakee, Illinois) -

one died after ingesting 23 lead sinkers, which is the cause of death of so many of these birds, especially in Washington state where thousands have died from ingesting lead sinkers and shot.

Although Illinois does not have a program in place to raise and release more of these birds to re-populate the environoment, Iowa, Wisconsin and other states do. According to the AP article:

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Expectations are that more trumpeters will surely follow thanks to ongoing release programs in Wisconsin and Iowa. A survey of the Midwestern interior population in 2005 showed 4,647 trumpeter swans, up 91 percent from 2000.

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There is a group dedicated to preserving the Trumpeter Swan, and they have a website at:

http://www.trumpeterswansociety.org/