British swans get divorced
Tue, Jan 26 2010 at 5:10 PM EST
SOUL MATES?: Some British Swans, who tend to mate for life, have found new love, leaving experts to wonder what happened. (Photo: fmc.nikon.d40/Flickr) In a strange turn of events, a pair of British swans seems to have separated, according to an article in BBC News. For only the second time in 40 years of observation, the Gloucestershire wildfowl sanctuary has seen a divorce among the birds, who tend to mate for life. Unlike other swans who get new partners after becoming widows, these birds seem to have suffered irreconcilable differences.
The sanctuary has studied 4,000 pairs of swans as they migrate from Arctic Russia. The rogue male swan, named Sarindi, ditched his partner Saruni for the migration, leaving experts to fear Saruni had died. When she showed up with a new mate herself, researcher Julia Newth told the BBC the staff was surprised to see neither swan showing "any signs of recognition or greeting — even though they are occupying the same part of the small lake." Newth is uncertain what caused the swans to part ways, but suspects failure to breed may have been a factor.
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