The 17-year-old male swan was found unresponsive yesterday.
The San Francisco Recreation and Parks Department announced the passing of one of the city’s beloved swans yesterday. Blue Boy, the male swan who lived at the Palace of Fine Arts lagoon with his mate, Blanche, appears to have passed away from possible zinc and lead poisoning.
We are saddened by the passing of Blue Boy, one of our two beloved Palace of Fine Arts swans. Our hearts are with his longtime mate Blanche and all of the Palace visitors who loved him. pic.twitter.com/9YPvKSK9Jb
— San Francisco Recreation and Park Department (@RecParkSF) March 5, 2021
Blue Boy was taken to the SF Zoo’s veterinary hospital, where they were unable to revive him. They performed a necropsy to determine the cause of death, and results are pending.
Both swans had traces of zinc and lead in them. Blue Boy’s female companion, Blanche, “appears to be responding well to treatment,” according to the SF Zoo’s statement.
“We are awaiting lab results for the necropsy and the soil in their habitat,” said SF Parks & Rec on Twitter. “We hope to have answers soon, so we can bring Blanche home to the Palace.”
“Oh no😥😥😥… I am so sorry for your loss,” said one Twitter user in response to te SF Parks and Recreation’s tweet. “Sad news. A loss for the Palace,” said another.
On February 10th, SF Parks and Recreation posted about the swans on Instagram. The caption read, “Blanche and Blue Boy are feeling a little under the weather. In an abundance of caution, our resident swans at the Palace of Fine Arts are visiting the San Francisco Zoo veterinarian. We are hopeful that things will go swimmingly.”
We wish a speedy recovery for Blue Boy’s mate, Blanche, and our hearts are with all of the visitors to the Palace of Fine Arts who will miss seeing him at the lagoon.
[Featured Image: @sfrecpark via Instagram]