Royal swan census scrapped as social distancing curbs bite
THE royal tradition of swan upping g has been cancelled this year as a result ult of the Covid-19 outbreak.
The annual census of the swan popu- opulation on a stretch of the River Thames ames has taken place since the 12th century, tury, when the Crown took ownership ip of mute swans.
It was due to be held over five days ays in July, on the river between Sunbury-ony-onThames and Abingdon in Oxfordshire. hire.
The event draws crowds and d involves royal swan uppers in scarlet t uniforms sitting together in traditional ional rowing skiffs, weighing and measuring uring cygnets and checking on the swans’ wans’ welfare, together with swan uppers ppers from the Vintners and Dyers livery ivery companies.
In normal circumstances, schools hools are invited to meet the swan uppers rs on their journey up river, to view the cygnets at close quarters and ask questions about the process.
David Barber, the Queen’s swan marker, leads the census, but it has been decided this year that it cannot take place safely within social distancing guidelines.
Buckingham Palace said Mr Barber would continue to work on a daily basis with the Thames
Swan Rescue Organisation to oversee swan welfare as usual.
The last time the census was cancelled was in
2012, when flooding meant the water was flowing too high and too fast for the swan upping to be carried out safely.
The census began in a time when swans were an important source of food, but is now conducted for wildlife conservation and education purposes.
The cygnets are ringed with individual identification numbers that denote whether they belong to the Vintners or the
Dyers. All
Crown birds are left unmarked in the process. Meanwhile, the first cygnets of the year hatched at Abbotsbury Swannery in Dorset last week. According to proverb, this heralds the start of the summer.
The swannery has 101 nests and under normal circumstances, the venue attracts visitors at this time of year, but it is currently closed due to the pandemic.