Swans return to Victoria Park
The sun is shining and the swans are back in the water at Victoria Park in Kitchener.
“They are certainly a popular mainstay of Victoria Park, and a highlight to many people as they are living pictures,” said Manager of Forestry with the city, Josh Shea. “The swans spend most of their year living in the pond at Victoria Park. They've been here at the city for a number of years, way longer than I've been here. Otis longer than Ophelia. And more recently now, they're a pair.”
The city announced Otis and Ophelia had returned in an Instagram post Tuesday. In an email, a city spokesperson said they had arrived the day before.
“They're part of our city family that we take care of and look after while they're staying at the park,” Shea said.
Otis and Ophelia are adult birds. Shea says they are both at least 10-years-old and says passersby at the park can be able to tell them apart by looking at their size.
“Ophelia is a little bit bigger and then Otis is the male [and] has a different shape on the head of his beak as the male bird.”
The birds normally spend the winter at a swan sanctuary in Elora.
“They were welcomed in to spend the winter with some other swans that are cared for by some wonderful volunteers in Elora and then we return them and they go back to living in the park during the warmer season,” Shea explained.
Shea says the birds came back a little earlier this year due to the warmer weather.
“We always monitor them and we have staff at the park every day that can check to see what’s going on. We also rely on just the members of the public who are passionate about them or watch them or enjoy them who will often let us know if they have any concerns or anything going on.”
Shea says it’s a bit of a mystery as to why the birds have become so popular throughout the region but isn’t surprised that many feel drawn to the feathered pair.
“It's a beautiful space in the water and downtown, you know, and just having them there, I think it's just something to look forward to, something to look for, to enjoy their antics and watch them in the pond.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'A beautiful soul': Funeral held for baby boy killed in wrong-way crash on Highway 401
A funeral was held on Wednesday for a three-month-old boy who died after being involved in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 in Whitby last week.
Police handcuff man trying to enter Drake's Toronto mansion
Toronto police say a man was taken into custody outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion Wednesday afternoon after he tried to gain access to the residence.
Biden says he will stop sending bombs and artillery shells to Israel if they launch major invasion of Rafah
U.S. President Joe Biden said for the first time Wednesday he would halt shipments of American weapons to Israel, which he acknowledged have been used to kill civilians in Gaza, if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu orders a major invasion of the city of Rafah.
U.S. presidential candidate RFK Jr. had a brain worm, has recovered, campaign says
Independent U.S. presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had a parasite in his brain more than a decade ago, but has fully recovered, his campaign said, after the New York Times reported about the ailment.
What is whooping cough and should Canadians be concerned as Europe declares outbreak?
There is currently a whooping cough epidemic in Europe, with 10 times as many cases compared to the previous two years. While an outbreak has not been declared nationwide in Canada, whooping cough is regularly detected in the country.
Pfizer agrees to settle more than 10K lawsuits over Zantac cancer risk: Bloomberg News
Pfizer has agreed to settle more than 10,000 lawsuits about cancer risks related to the now discontinued heartburn drug Zantac, Bloomberg News reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the deal.
Quebec premier defends new museum on Quebecois nation after Indigenous criticism
Quebec Premier Francois Legault is defending his comments about a new history museum after he was accused by a prominent First Nations group of trying to erase their history.
B.C. theatre to pay $55K to neurodivergent actor in discrimination case
British Columbia's human rights tribunal has awarded a neurodigergent actor, who was diagnosed with sensory and learning disorders, more than $55,000 after finding that a Kelowna theatre company discriminated against him because of his disabilities.
Who's responsible for regulating cannabis stores operating under the sovereignty banner?
It's not quite clear who is supposed to be regulating so-called sovereign cannabis stores or even ensure they're benefiting Indigenous communities.