Photo of rescued swan courtesy of Anne-Katrin Titze
Last night we received word from Anne-Katrin Titze and Ed Bahlman that they rescued the first injured Prospect Park swan of the new year. Titze—a wildlife rehabilitator—tells us, "Ed and I early this morning removed a barbed hook with line and debris attached from one of the cygnets. It was not there yesterday morning. There is still a great deal of fishing debris caught up in trees and tangled in phragmites." Barbed hooks are illegal to use in the park, and last year Prospect Park Enforcement Patrol officers were being criticized for turning a blind eye to unlawful fishermen.
We've contacted Prospect Park's press director Eugene Patron, who confirmed the Parks Department prohibits the use of barbed hooks, and that officers can issue summons for fishing with such. He was unaware how many fisherman actually use the lake during the winter months (which could affect the number of patrolling officers).
Titze added that "the paths leading to and around the lake are a sheet of ice and have been forgotten by the Alliance"—so maybe that'll keep those unlawful fisherman away for a little while! (For the record, however, the Prospect Park Alliance doesn't maintain the Park or enforce rules, that's the Parks Department's job).
