NYC Woman Traverses City To Save Sick Swan

NEW YORK CITY — Not every birthday celebration is spent on a wild goose chase to save a swan named Bae. But, for now 30-year-old Ariel Cordova-Rojas, her derailed day was "the perfect culmination" of her 20s.

Cordova-Rojas is a former animal care manager for the Wild Bird Fund rehabilitation center in Manhattan. When on a birthday hike in Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge last week, she spotted a swan in distress and quickly jumped to action.

"Something about her just didn't seem right," Cordova-Rojas told the Wild Bird Fund, which later treated the sickened swan. "I just couldn't leave her there."

The woman said she had already hiked about a mile from where her bicycle was parked at the entrance to the wildlife refuge when she encountered the swan.

Suspecting the 17-pound bird was sick or injured, she scooped it up in her jacket and lugged it on foot back to the entrance of the refuge, where she made calls to various animal rescue services. Neither they nor the ranger stations yielded immediate assistance.

A nearby good Samaritan with a car agreed to drive the woman, her bicycle and her swan to a nearby subway station, the Associated Press reports. While riding the train, Cordova-Rojas took photos of the swan nestled in a subway seat.

Cordova-Rojas told the New York Times other passengers seemed nonplussed by the swan's presence on the train.

After a train ride to Brooklyn, a pair of Wild Bird Fund employees picked up the daring duo and drove them to the clinic on the Upper West Side.

Cordova-Rojas told the Associated Press the swan was being treated for lead poisoning and an infection. While at the clinic, Bae made friends with another swan and is gaining strength and mobility.

It could take three weeks or up to two months before Bae returns to the refuge, Cordova-Rojas said.

The tale of the swan's rescue saga inspired an outpouring of affection.

"I think it just shows the immense compassion of New Yorkers. People always think that we are rude and heartless, but we are just busy and have places to go, so we move fast," Cordova-Rojas said. "Even though we live in a concrete jungle, we are surrounded by nature and wildlife if you just take a second to look around. The wildlife are just as much New Yorkers as we are, and it is our duty to keep each other safe."

The Associated Press reports it could take up to two months before Bae returns to the refuge. But, the Wild Bird Fund is hopeful she will recover.

On spending her birthday with a bird, Cordova-Rojas said she wouldn't have it any other way.

“That was kind of the perfect culmination of my 20s,” she told The Times. “It was the perfect birthday present to be in nature and be able to save a life.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report