FEB. 21, 2019 / 1:27 PM
By Ben Hooper
Feb. 21 (UPI) -- Animal
rescuers in California are trying to determine the origins of a pair of rare
black swans that showed up on Balboa Island.
The swans, native to Australia
and New Zealand, were captured by Newport Beach Animal Control officials when
they were spotted by a dog walker Feb. 11, and they are currently being cared
for by the Wetlands & Wildlife Care Center.
Officials said the swans are in
good health and don't appear to be afraid of people, leading them to suspect
the animals were pets that escaped or were abandoned.
"There are very few of these
birds in the U.S," Lisa Peronne, the center's wildlife manager, told the Orange County Register.
"You have to possess a
permit to keep them. There is no one registered in Newport Beach that has a
permit. They're usually held by collectors of exotic animals. Your average
person wouldn't have them in their backyard," she said.
She said a breeding pair of black
swans can sell for up to $3,000. She said officials have not yet determined the
sexes of the captured swans.
The center and animal control
officials have been posting photos of the birds on social media in the hopes of identifying
their owner.
"We don't know if they
escaped or if somebody dumped them," Peronne said.
She said the center can only
house the swans temporarily, so she is searching for another facility to take
the unusual birds.
"I have to do research where
they can be taken," Peronne said. "It could be a long process or we
could get lucky."
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