2014 goes down as tough year for some wildlife

Whatever else 2014 will be known for, it was a tough one for the state's trumpeter swans.

The birds turned up in record numbers at the Wildlife Rehabilitation Center of Minnesota, which treated more than 9,000 animals, birds and other creatures in 2014.

It was a record year for wildlife in general, according to Executive Director Phil Jenni.

"Certainly the trend has been upward the last decade, but this is 18-20 percent more patients than we took in as close as two years ago," Jenni said. "And what's kind of interesting this year is that we had a different mix of animals that reflected the weather conditions."

He said a bitterly cold winter left its mark early in 2014. The Great Lakes virtually froze over in March, forcing water birds like a rare red-throated loon to take to Minnesota skies — and then a driveway in Isanti County before it was rescued.

A shutdown at the Monticello nuclear plant let the Mississippi River freeze over and forced a flock of swans off the river and into power lines, fields and the surrounding countryside. A variety of injuries were the result.

A rapid onset of winter just last month stranded some migrants like grebes and loons that usually depart while the lakes are still open and takeoff is made easier.

Some of the growth in the number of cases seen at the center is actually a good sign. The growing number of trumpeter swans being brought in for rehab is an indication that their populations are rebounding, Jenni said.

"You start thinking, we had 7,800 animals in 2011, and 9,200 this year, are there that many more animals hurt? I don't think there are. There's a lot more people who are aware of us, and a lot more people who are helping, and they know that there's something we can do," he said.

And Jenni said supporters of wildlife have responded financially, as well. The center's budget has grown by nearly 20 percent since 2012, to $860,000 this year — although money isn't necessarily a limiting factor.

"The marginal difference from one rabbit to the next rabbit doesn't matter that much," Jenni said. "It's difficult, but not undoable."