Swan leader back but without mate

The oldest living member of a Gloucestershire swan dynasty has arrived from the Russian Arctic, to the delight of researchers.

Croupier, who is 26 years old, is the leader of one of the biggest Bewick’s swan families ever studied at the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust (WWT) centre near Slimbridge. Along with Dealer, its long-term partner, the ‘cobfather’ has raised 29 cygnets at the famous swan lake over the years.

Sadly, Croupier has arrived without its mate this December, with researchers hoping the missing swan may still be completing the long migration to the UK.

Nijinsky, Croupier’s grandfather, began wintering at Slimbridge in 1969.

Casino, its mother, at 27, was one of WWT’S longest living wild swans, safely escorting 34 cygnets on the 2,500-mile journey from Russia to Slimbridge during her lifetime. Samantha Herbert