Controversial swan hunt appears to work: California’s mute swan population drops

California's invasive mute swan population has plummeted by fifty-three percent in less than a year—from about fifteen thousand to seven thousand four hundred—after a new law allowing hunters and property owners to cull the birds took effect in January. The swans, originally from Europe and Asia, were never meant to be here; they arrived when some were brought into the state and later escaped or were released from captivity. Per the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, these birds pose a significant threat to the state's fragile wetlands: weighing up to thirty pounds and fiercely territorial, they strip away native vegetation other waterbirds depend on and harass or kill native ducks and geese during breeding season. Despite opposition from animal welfare groups, the law passed unanimously and remains in effect until January twenty thirty-one. The decline is remarkable considering the population had skyrocketed from just fifteen hundred in twenty twenty-two to roughly fifteen thousand before the law took effect.

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