MIAMI HERALD (Florida) 14 July 05 Swans are no match for park's crocodiles (Michelle Hammontree)
Crocodiles, which have taken to feasting on small birds like ibises and ducks at the Gardens at Crandon Park, have taken another victim: a black Australian swan named Noir.
''There were black feathers everywhere. I knew that they were Noir's because his had a curl at the end,'' said Valerie Cassidy, president of the Gardens at Crandon Park Foundation.
''Without thinking I went into the water to get what was left of him,'' said Cassidy who surfaced with only a wing.
The swans, once a community of 17, now number six. Last year, two were found violently killed -- though park enthusiasts think that was done by humans. This time Cassidy and others blame the crocodiles.
Park officials say there is not much they can do to prevent such deaths -- seeing that crocodiles, on the endangered list, are increasingly appearing in developed areas around South Florida.
While Cassidy -- who documents each time she sees a crocodile and notes its features -- wants the park to put up a fence to keep them out, Tim Byrnes of Miami-Dade Parks said that isn't possible.
''It would take a fence that goes three feet into the ground and that is at least six feet high to keep the crocodiles out of the gardens. The other day I saw one on its hind legs that almost got over the existing fence'' which is three feet tall, said Byrnes, Miami-Dade's Park and Recreation Region Three manager. ``The fence would have to go around about 40 acres. This is a big ticket item and we don't have the funding.''
Byrnes is looking into replacing the birds with ones that are native to Southeast Florida -- and can defend themselves. The existing birds would be left to live out their days in the garden or will be relocated through contacts at Miami Metrozoo.
Relocating crocodiles to wilder parts of South Florida like the Everglades hasn't worked.
''For 20 years, I have been relocating them, just for them to return. We are just spinning our wheels. We are going to have to get used to them,'' said Tim Regan, a biologist with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. ``There are crocs at every park on Biscayne. There are six or seven parks and they all have major channels.''
To remove them, the crocodiles must show aggressive tendencies and measure at least four feet.
Noir first came to Crandon six years ago at age 2 ˝-and-a-half, a gift to the park from the foundation. He cost $350 to purchase, which the foundation raised through donations.
Photography clubs often go to the park to take pictures of the swans, said Georgina Salup, a photographer who frequents the park.
''For seven years I have seen the birds grow and thrive but also disappear and die,'' Salup said. ``If there is a way we can protect them we should. They are free to fly away but always come back. This is their home.''
Swans are no match for park's crocodiles