Trumpeter Swan Re-Introduction Program

Program Background

Originally native to Ontario, the Trumpeter swan's extirpation from eastern Canada over 200 years ago was primarily due to hunting pressure and habitat loss. Biologist Harry Lumsden began a provincial reintroduction program in the early 1980's to re-establish the Trumpeter swan in its former habitat and range.
With prime wetland habitat, and archaeological evidence confirming the historical presence of Trumpeters in the Wye Valley, Wye Marsh Wildlife Centre became a co-operator in the restoration of this magnificent species in 1989. The original captive breeding pair of Trumpeters at Wye Marsh were "Big Guy" and "Lady Girl". Big Guy and Lady successfully raised the first cygnet in 1990, and she became known as "Pig Pen". In 1993, Pig Pen and her mate became the first wild nesting pair of Trumpeters in Wye Marsh in over 200 years. Now, more than a decade later, the Centre is caring for and monitoring 104 Trumpeter swans in Wye Marsh and the surrounding area, accounting for approximately one-third of the Trumpeters in the province. The number of wild nesting Trumpeter pairs is on the increase as well, and the swans are beginning to establish nesting territories in some of the surrounding wetlands. Nesting locations of Trumpeters are generally not publicized, to allow the swans to raise their young without human interference.