GANGNEUNG, Apr. 12 (Yonhap) -- A migratory bird whooper swan, a natural monument and endangered wild animal, still lives in Gyeongpocheon, Gangneung, which arouses curiousity.
Swans including whooper swan mostly go back to the North at the end of February or at the beginning of March, after spending winter in Korea.
However, in Gyeongpocheon, a whooper swan is still staying lonely as of this mid-April.
On March 15th last year, a swan family returning to hometown visited Gyeongpocheon, but it has been alone more than a month even after they left the next day.
Until few days ago, a whooper swan was relatively active on foraging, putting its head in the water and digging up grass roots, but recently, when spring blends into early summer, it is mostly spending time sitting on the isle of reeds.
Besides, it usually stays in and around 20~30 meters due to its narrow range of activity, while it rarely appears more than 100 meters away.
Gyeongpocheon where a whooper swan lives is only 30~50 meters wide, and has many citizens jogging or exercising.
Even if passing citizens give interest and take photos of it, it rarely pays attention to them other than raising its head or looking around.
It is supposed to have been injured and unable to fly but outwardly, injuries such as wings or legs are not noticeable.
A citizen who came out for a walk said, "I've known that swan is a winter migratory bird, but I didn't know that it is not supposed to be here until now", adding, "I used to take photos of this lonely whooper swan whenever I stroll out, and I hope it can return to its hometown safely."
An official from Gangneung city mentioned, "It seems that this whooper swan have been injured, but since we are not sure what's happening to it, we've contacted related agencies," saying, "For now, we just hope it to return to its hometown later or stay healthy during the summer."
(This article is translated from Korean to English by Kim Jimin.)
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