Letter to the Editor
Editor,
Is it time to reassess having swans at Lakeview Cemetery?
I know the argument. Folks love to come to Lakeview Cemetery, feed the swans while enjoying the peaceful surroundings. There is even a new gazebo strategically placed for that purpose.
Are we trading off the rights of the swans just for our own pleasure? Some think that watching the swans is educational and entertaining, and that may be so. Others may see it as a prison yard that includes winter confinement.
There is quite a debate going on about the forced confinement of other living beings in zoos, sea worlds and modified enclosure care, as is the enforced home of Ambrosia and Snow at Lakeview Cemetery. This isn’t an insignificant matter if you’re a swan.
The very fact that they made another winter escape may be telling us something about their thoughts on confinement and deliberate wing damage to prevent flight.
A few years back one swan was killed by a big dog or wild animal. That bird was replaced, but without the ability to fly they really are ‘sitting ducks’.
If the missing swans were actually stolen, what does that say about our ability to protect them?
I know that everyone hopes that Ambrosia and Snow are still alive and well.
If they don’t come back, is it time to rethink this ancient practice and come up with other ideas that may delight cemetery visitors while honouring the needs of other living creatures?
Lindy Iversen, Meaford
