Flying with swans: birdwoman takes off on 4,700-mile epic
STUDYING the lives of swans might seem like a gentle pursuit involving pleasant afternoons by the river, as the birds glide serenely across the water.
But one conservationist is risking being shot by hunters and attacked by bears and wolves during a treacherous 4,700- mile journey to follow the migration route of the Bewick Swan.
Sacha Dench, 41, a distant relative of Dame Judi Dench, is due to embark on the 10- week mission next month.
Strapped to a powered paraglider, Miss Dench is planning to follow the birds as they travel south from their summer breeding grounds in the Russian arctic into Europe for the winter, passing through 11 countries.
In the past 20 years, Bewick swan numbers have nearly halved with just 20,000 remaining in the wild but experts are unsure of the cause. Miss Dench, who works at the Slimbridge Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust in Gloucestershire, said friends and family thought she was “bonkers” when she first told them of her plans. She said: “There is a reason that the swans leave Russia during this time. It’s going to get very cold, maybe as low as -20C [-4F].” The first 600 miles of the journey takes her across the Russian tundra, a desolate expanse with no roads, inhabited by polar bears, bears and wolves. There are human threats too. Bewicks have been landing at Slimbridge with shotgun pellets buried in their skin. “I am hoping that subsistence hunters who would shoot the swans will realise that I am a human.” she said. Although a support helicopter will be on hand to film the mission, Miss Dench will be largely relying on the good will of local reindeer hunters to help her find food and shelter. She will need to travel with 90lbs of weight strapped to her back, for periods of up to three hours at a time. The expedition is backed by Sir David Attenborough.