An Iconic San Francisco Swan From the Palace of Fine Arts Has Died of Suspected Lead Poisoning
His 25-year-old mate Blanche is hospitalized for the same illness and responding to treatment
Ever since San Francisco’s Palace of Fine Arts first opened during the 1915 Panama-Pacific International Exhibition, it’s been a haven for water-gliding fowl. The structure’s population of resident and transient swans have, specifically, become as iconic as the stone monoliths and detailed pillars themselves. But the Presidio-adjacent structure is now without one of its most famous avian fixtures. In heartbreaking news. Blue Boy, the 17-year-old swan that frequented the Palace of Fine Arts, has died.
Announced by the San Francisco Recreation and Parks Department on March 4, the teenage swan apparently died at the San Francisco Zoo’s veterinary hospital, where it was undergoing treatment for what was suspected to be a case of zinc and lead poisoning.
“We are saddened by the passing of Blue Boy, one of our two beloved Palace of Fine Arts swans,” reads a tweet from the department. “Our hearts are with his longtime mate Blanche and all of the Palace visitors who loved him.”
Unfortunately, zinc and lead poisonings are common among birds, especially waterfowl. When metallic materials — pellets, fishing hooks, material hardware, and even post-1982 pennies, which are constructed from an alloy composed of 97.5% zinc and just 2.5% copper — accumulate in the birds’ wading waters, they slowly begin to absorb the mineral elements. Over time, the toxins accumulate inside the animal’s bodies. Should they become oversaturated with compounds, the birds can begin suffering adverse side effects.
Alas, this was the case for Blue Boy. Blanche, his 25-year-old mate—swans typically pair up for life, barring a nesting failure—also has the illness but seems to be responding to treatment.
“[San Francisco Zoo] veterinarians continue to investigate the cause of his death, as well as the source of the zinc & lead in both swans,” the department continued in a follow-up tweet. “We are awaiting laboratory results for the necropsy & the soil in their habitat. We hope to have answers soon, so we can bring Blanche home to the Palace.”
Both of the Polish mute swans — an invasive species introduced in North America from Europe in the late 1800s for their aesthetic value — were taken in by the city’s zoo earlier this year after experiencing health issues. Each swan had issues with standing upright on their feet and were experiencing cognitive issues; they had problems going back into the small pond at the Palace of Fine Arts.
Though the pair have reared many cygnets (young swans) over the years, the past decade has seen the lives of these otherwise peaceful, unbothersome creatures interrupted by human malice. In 2010, a “still-unidentified individual” killed a five-year-old swan named Monday by snapping her neck, per SFGate. This occurred just six months after Friday, her 19-year-old mother, was stolen, leaving Blanche (Monday’s sister) to exist and survive by herself.
Like us humans, swans mourn the loss of those sentient beings close to them — particularly their mates. In December, German firefighters had to physically remove a wayward swan from a high-rail train track that refused to leave the area after its mate had died. Swans and other birds have been known to remain at the locations of where their mate has died for hours, days — sometimes weeks.
RIP, Blue Boy. Your whimsical residence at the Palace of Fine Arts will be immeasurably missed. And here’s hoping Blanche can someday find some peace and closure amid your absence.
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