A new pair of trumpeter swans, Sarah and Cygmond, make their public debut on Valentine's Day at Woodland Park Zoo.
Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren/Woodland Park Zoo
Love is in the air at Woodland Park Zoo as Valentine's Day approaches -- making a perfectly appropriate time for a pair of swans and a duo of warthog sisters to make their debut.
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The trumpeter swans, Sarah and Cygmond, will debut at the Seattle zoo on Friday, Feb. 14. Sarah, a 6- to 7-year-old female, was rescued last summer after flying into power lines on Whidbey Island. She was brought to the Whatcom Humane Society Wildlife Rehabilitation Center to recover. While there, veterinarians discovered a malaligned fracture in her wing, which likely kept her from flying normally. She was also dehydrated, underweight and had low levels of lead in her system, zoo officials said in an emailed news release.
She is preparing to live a renewed life at the zoo alongside her new partner, 8-year-old Cygmond, who was relocated from the Kansas City Zoo to be Sarah's companion.
The pair will hopefully mate. Pending genetic testing, their offspring may be released to suitable habitat in the Midwest as part of ongoing recovery programs, zoo officials said in the release.
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Trumpeter swans regularly visit Washington and neighboring British Columbia during the winter months. At 25 lbs, they are the continent's heaviest flying bird.
Two more new arrivals to the zoo are Olive and Clover, 2-year-old warthog sisters who arrived in Seattle just last week. They will be slowly introduced to resident 8-year-old male warthog Dennis.