By LOIS KINDLE
Residents of the Swan Lake Homeowner’s Association recently learned a sad fact of life about the animal world.
On Nov. 30, a pair of beautiful, 1-year-old black swans its residents had raised funds to purchase were finally delivered.
“We’d been trying for a couple of years and finally found a guy in Parrish to get them from,” said HOA President Betty Rybczynski. “Although we had some misgivings about getting the swans, we decided to go forward with the purchase since so many people wanted them.
“The swans were placed in the lake and off they went, side by side, across the lake,” she said.
Within 24 hours, tragedy struck.
“Early Sunday morning my neighbor and I saw both swans on the lake, but by mid-morning there was no trace of them,” Rybczynski said. “We finally found one swan crying out in the high grass behind the stained glass studio.”
Since the man [Derek] who sold the swans had said [the] pair would always stay together, it was evident something was wrong.
“We called him, and he came back to catch and rescue the remaining swan,” Rybczynski said. “We knew there was an alligator in the lake, and we had the county’s alligator hunter at our lake multiple times since January, when we secured the purchase of the swans, to try and capture and relocate the alligator. He was never able to locate it.”
Although swans originally lived on Swan Lake since the early 1960s, increasing development spelled trouble for their survival.
“We wanted to continue [having them] but with all the building going on, there really is limited space for alligators, which are native to Florida,” Rybczynski said. “Swans are not. There’s really nowhere else for the alligators to go.
“Even if we could have caught the one in our lake now, another would soon follow.”
COURTESY PHOTO
This pair of live swans lasted barely a day on Swan Lake, when one of them was apparently attacked and consumed by a 10-foot alligator. The other was rescued and taken back to the man in Parrish who had raised it.
Rybczynski said the HOA was lucky and is grateful the other swan was rescued and removed.
“We know so many in Sun City Center donated to help us get these swans, and we thank you,” she said. “But we can’t in good conscious put more live swans in harm’s way. We very much appreciate everyone who helped us secure these swans and hope you understand why we can no longer continue to pursue this futile endeavor.”
There are currently two plastic swans on the lake, and the HOA plans to get more.
American alligators are carnivores, and they’re not too picky about what they eat. Large birds like swans are definitely part of their diet, as well as fish, mammals (deer, raccoons, wild hogs, dogs), snails and insects, and smaller reptiles. They attack humans only when provoked and feel life-threatened.
