A woman that was walking through a wildlife refuge in New York City ended up taking a sick swan for a 23-mile journey on foot, with the help of a car, and a subway.
Ariel Cordova-Rojas, the woman, was riding her bike to the Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge in Queens when she saw the sick swan.
She was on a walk and was trying to do some bird watching.
Rojas spent 5 years as an animal care manager at the Wild Bird Fund rehabilitation center in Manhattan.
She said that she noticed that a swan was sitting by herself near the shore and was acting weird.
Talking about the animal, Rojas said:
It seemed odd, but swans can be solitary. As I got closer, she stayed stationary. They’re usually aggressive and territorial, you can’t get close without them trying to attack and I knew something was wrong.
Rojas said that she was unable to reach any wildlife rescuers that could come out and meet her, so she did everything herself.
The woman used her jacket to pick up the swan, carry her to the place where she packed her bicycle.
A couple that was walking through the refuge saw her and offered her to drive them to the nearest subway station.
Rojas used the subway and took a train with the swan.
During an interview with local news agencies, Rojas said that no one was fazed to see a swan with her in the train.
Tristan Higginbotham, an animal care manager at the Wild Bird Fund, met Cordova-Rojas at the Nostrand Avenue station in Brooklyn.
He drove her and the swan to the Wild Bird Fund’s facility, where the bird was treated.
When you are doing good things, other people help you out too!
Officials said that the Swan is suffering from a lead poisoning.
They believe that the swan swallowed lead from a fishing line.
The swan is currently going through treatment and will be released back into the wild after a couple of weeks.