DEM: Bird flu and coyote attack, not bullets, likely led to Gaspee swan's demise

Jack Perry, The Providence Journal
·2 min read
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The mute swan was apparently shot in the face and body, according to the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management.
The mute swan was apparently shot in the face and body, according to the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management.

A dead swan found last week on Gaspee Point with apparent gunshot wounds wasn't shot, after all, according to the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management.

The swan's discovery on Feb. 8 raised concerns about illegal hunting and prompted an investigation, but the DEM has concluded that the swan was most likely killed by a coyote, according to Michael Healey, chief public information officer for the DEM.

"Based on this evidence, DEM believes a coyote killed the swan, which was perhaps weakened by bird flu, and that the swan was not shot and killed by a person," Healey said.

More:What's causing so many seabirds to turn up dead on RI beaches?

The mute swan's body was X-rayed and no projectiles or broken bones were found, Healey said. State Veterinarian Scott Marshall did a necropsy on Feb. 13 and found "multiple sets of symmetrical puncture wounds on the throat and the neck and another set on the left pectoral area" which were "relatively shallow but did a lot of damage to the underlying tissue consistent with the crush of a bite," Healey said.

Gaspee has a lot of mute swans and, starting last year, the DEM noticed swans there showing neurological symptoms associated with bird flu, Healey said.

The swan was found on Gaspee Point. Two others found dead the following week are believed to have died from bird flu.
The swan was found on Gaspee Point. Two others found dead the following week are believed to have died from bird flu.

The DEM doesn't have results yet on whether the dead swan found Feb. 8 had bird flu, but says it might have contributed to the swan's death.

More:The state's first case of bird flu in domestic birds has been found in Newport County, RI

"We hypothesize that the swan likely caught bird flu, which made it vulnerable to a predator attack — i.e., the coyote," Healey said via email. "Then, when the coyote attacked it, healthy swans saw what was going on and probably drove the coyote off."

On Feb. 13, the DEM found two other dead mute swans in Gaspee Point and, after an examination by Marshall, concluded both had died from bird flu.

Bird flu is "very common" in Rhode Island waterfowl, Healey said.

Because there is no evidence of a crime, the DEM's Division of Law Enforcement investigation is closed pending new or developing information, Healey said.

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: DEM: Dead Gaspee swan wasn't shot; bird flu might have helped kill it