Residents in Stratford, Ont., were being asked to stay on the lookout Wednesday as five of the city's iconic swans remained at large.
What started as a typical day for Quin Malott, Stratford's parks and forestry manager, two weeks ago quickly turned into a wild swan chase.
During Malott's usual venture along Lake Victoria, where he goes daily to feed the swans, he noticed that three of the six he usually saw swimming in the city's centre were missing.
"So we thought, you know, they're probably down on the other side by the golf course or what have you," he said.
Not thinking much of it, Malott left the area. But when he returned the next day, all six were missing, leaving no trace — not even feathers.
"So we started to do our search," he said.
Despite days of searching along the river and checking out stormwater retention ponds, the missing swans were not found in their usual homes.
The dilemma has been ruffling feathers among residents.
"It's concerning for a lot of people," said Malott. "We just want to get them back to the river."
Swans form a unique part of Stratford and add to the city's allure, Malott said, adding that they are connected to the park system and go hand-in-hand with the city's iconic theatre festival. There are currently 18 birds in the flock, he added.
Though Malott doesn't know if any of the birds were taken, he isn't ruling the idea out as they've become accustomed to being fed by humans.
"We would just have to shake a can of corn and then they would all come to somebody. So I'm not going to say that they were taken, but it's definitely a possibility," he said.
The birds may also still be out there hiding, Malott said, adding that there are many areas along the lake where visibility is reduced due to factors such as tall grass.
"It just seems strange that we don't have any sign of it," Mallott said, adding it's also possible the birds' wings weren't altered properly to prevent flight and they may have flown away.
Earlier in the week, Malott said dozens of Stratford residents called to report that they had spotted one of the fugitive birds caught in a stormwater retention pond in the city's north end.
There are plans to recover the lost bird on Thursday.
"We just had to feed it up a little. It's a bit timid right now, so we're going to feed it up for a few days so we can get close enough to catch it," Malott said.
He said he hopes the appeal to the public will help some of the other birds find their way home, especially since the city doesn't use tracking devices on them.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 27, 2025.
Vanessa Tiberio, The Canadian Press
