NEW YORK – A swan named Bae ended up in an Upper West Side animal clinic in the most imaginable way; it was all thanks to good Samaritans and even a trip on the New York City subway.
The adult swan was found Thursday at the Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge by a Hispanic woman, Ariel Cordova Rojas, who said she was careful when approaching the wild bird.
“You can’t just walk up to a swan and hope it’s okay,” Rojas said. “They’re going to try to bite you, they’re going to try to flick their wings away from them, but she didn’t do that.”
Rojas worked in the Wild Bird Fund on the Upper West Side for years, so he knew exactly what to do after finding the swan. He wrapped the 17-pound bird in his jacket and carried it for about a mile while walking his bike.
“I knew exactly where to go, but the problem was how to get to the destination since I was on my bike,” he said.
But other New Yorkers were there to help her and even helped her get her bike to the nearest train stop. One of the people was an MTA worker, said Rojas, who helped her get to the train station on her bicycle.
The bird boarded the Line A train at Howard Beach Station and got off at Nostrand Avenue. Throughout the journey, Rojas took some photos while Bae was addressing a strange passenger on the train. But, as usual, no other passenger seemed to really care.
“Nobody really cared because this is New York City and you see wild things every day,” Rojas said.
He was able to coordinate with friends and with those at the animal clinic in Manhattan, where the swan is now being treated. Rojas said the name Bae came up as a play on the place where she was found (Jamaica BAY Wildlife Refuge) and “because she was my date for the night.”
It turns out that the event occurred a day after the birthday of Rojas who turned 30 years old. Instead of receiving gifts, he was able to give the healing to the majestic bird who is now on the way to recovery. The clinic director said that Bae is being treated for some things that afflicted her.
“She is receiving medication due to lead poisoning, she is receiving antibiotics and antifungal medications,” Wild Bird Fund Director Rita McMahon said. “And it could also be a trauma that made his legs weak, but as you saw, it feels pretty good.”
The MTA applauded the acts of heroism.
“We appreciate the efforts of the Good Samaritans, including an MTA employee, to save the suffering swan, and we are pleased that the subway can play a small role in his rescue,” spokesman Tim Minton said in a statement Wednesday.
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