“Swan woman” flying again after injury but heartbroken by news of swan death
“Human swan” conservationist Sacha Dench from the Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust (WWT) is flying again after being injured while following rare Bewick’s swans on their migration from Russia.
She fitted wheels to her paramotor to take pressure off her damaged knee. She’s made it as far as Poland, where she received the heartbreaking news that one particularly special swan has not made it.
The swan named ‘Charlotte’ had been fitted with a GPS collar by researchers who were tracking her progress online alongside that of Sacha. Both swan and conservationist encountered bad weather in Estonia, but Charlotte never made the onward journey.
Earlier this week, WWT headquarters at Slimbridge in Gloucestershire alerted Sacha’s support team, who sent a representative back to Estonia to attempt to find Charlotte’s body, but they had to turn back after two days of snow and freezing conditions. The news was broken to Ms Dench today, who said:
“This is such sad news. Looking at a beautiful Bewick’s swan, you don’t appreciate how incredibly tough they need to be to complete this gruelling journey. I have an engine and a support team and, even so, it’s without a doubt the most physically and emotionally challenging thing I’ve ever done.
“As part of the Wildfowl & Wetland Trust swan tracking programme for the last two years, Charlotte gave us an invaluable window into their world. Sadly, you can see on our Flight of the Swans website that Charlotte’s tracker is now just moving up and down the coast with the tide.
“Each year hundreds of Bewick’s swans don’t make it. We may never know what happened to Charlotte, but it’s important that she doesn’t die in vain. Please sign the petition on the Flight of the Swans website to protect swans and restore lost wetlands.”
Sacha is also showing people how the world looks through the eyes of a swan as she visits schools and communities along the swans’ route. Using aerial footage she has filmed from her paramotor has given her a unique way to talk about the challenges that the swans face as they fly the long migration with winter bearing down on them.
Ms Dench added:
“This journey is as much about the people as it is about the swans. I’ve had the warmest welcome every step of the way. I’ve been given presents and food and everyone wants to know why I’m doing this flight and, when they hear, they’re all keen to do something to help the Bewick’s swans, regardless of whether they knew beforehand about their plight.
“They can see that the swans’ future relies on all of us working together, all the way from Russia throughout Europe. And if we do that it will help much more than the swans – it will improve things for countless other species, and even the people themselves.”
