{"id":58095,"date":"2025-09-11T16:16:40","date_gmt":"2025-09-11T20:16:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/?p=58095"},"modified":"2025-09-11T16:16:47","modified_gmt":"2025-09-11T20:16:47","slug":"45th-annual-swan-rounup-oct-28-29","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/2025\/09\/11\/45th-annual-swan-rounup-oct-28-29\/","title":{"rendered":"45th ANNUAL SWAN ROUNUP – OCT. 28 & 29"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The City of Lakeland Parks Division will kick off the 45th Annual Swan Roundup at 7:00 a.m. on Tuesday, October 28, 2025, on Lake Morton. Staff from the Parks, Recreation & Cultural Arts Department will gather the swans by boat to prepare them for their annual veterinary wellness check.<\/p>\n\n\n

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After being rounded up, the swans will be placed in large holding pens on the\u00a0south side of Lake Morton overnight. The wellness exams, conducted by\u00a0My Pet\u2019s Animal Hospital, begin on\u00a0Wednesday, October 29, at 8:00 a.m.\u00a0The swans will be weighed, examined, and, in the case of young cygnets, microchipped before being released back to the lake. The annual roundup is an important event that allows the City to monitor the health and well-being of Lakeland\u2019s iconic domesticated swans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Lake Morton swan population dates back to 1957, when Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom gifted a pair of swans to the City. As the flock grew, so did the need for regular care, leading to the start of the Swan Roundup in 1980. Since then, the tradition has continued annually. Veterinarian emeritus Dr. W.G. Gardner, Lakeland\u2019s original “Swanvet,” cared for the birds in the early years. Later, Dr. Patricia Mattson took over, and today, My Pet\u2019s Animal Hospital provides veterinary services\u2014donated at no cost to the City.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

About My Pet\u2019s Animal Hospital<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Located at 2225 Drane Field Road, My Pet\u2019s Animal Hospital is a full-service, AAHA-accredited facility. Their 5,100-square-foot clinic features modern exam rooms, treatment, and surgery areas\u2014including laser surgery\u2014and more than 40 pet boarding kennels. They operate three hospital wards and uphold the highest veterinary care standards set by the American Animal Hospital Association.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bob Donahay, Director of Parks, Recreation & Cultural Arts said, \u201cThe Lake Morton swans are truly a cherished treasure in our community\u2014loved by families for generations! The annual Swan Roundup is not just a tradition; it’s a vital event that helps ensure our beautiful flock stays happy and healthy. We\u2019re incredibly thankful to My Pet\u2019s Animal Hospital for generously donating their time and expertise year after year. Their support is absolutely invaluable\u2014we simply couldn\u2019t do it without them.\u201d He added, \u201cCaring for our domestic swans costs the City around $10,000 annually, and this ongoing partnership plays a crucial role in keeping them well-fed, healthy, and thriving. It\u2019s a team effort, and we\u2019re proud to continue it together.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

About the City of Lakeland<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Incorporated in January 1885, the City of Lakeland has grown to a population of over 127,000 and is one of Florida\u2019s largest inland communities. Conveniently located along the I-4 corridor, Lakeland is just an hour from major tourist attractions and Gulf Coast beaches. The City also owns and operates Lakeland Electric, the third largest publicly owned utility in Florida, and one of the first to deliver electricity in the state, dating back to 1889.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The City of Lakeland Parks Division will kick off the 45th Annual Swan Roundup at 7:00 a.m. on Tuesday, October 28, 2025, on Lake Morton. Staff from the Parks, Recreation & Cultural Arts Department… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":58096,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","_seopress_robots_follow":"","_seopress_robots_imageindex":"","_seopress_robots_snippet":"","_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"7591","_seopress_robots_breadcrumbs":"","_seopress_robots_freeze_modified_date":"","_seopress_robots_custom_modified_date":"","_seopress_robots_canonical":"","_seopress_social_fb_title":"","_seopress_social_fb_desc":"","_seopress_social_fb_img":"","_seopress_social_fb_img_attachment_id":0,"_seopress_social_fb_img_width":0,"_seopress_social_fb_img_height":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_title":"","_seopress_social_twitter_desc":"","_seopress_social_twitter_img":"","_seopress_social_twitter_img_attachment_id":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_img_width":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_img_height":0,"_seopress_redirections_value":"","_seopress_redirections_enabled":"","_seopress_redirections_enabled_regex":"","_seopress_redirections_logged_status":"","_seopress_redirections_param":"","_seopress_redirections_type":0,"_seopress_analysis_target_kw":"","inline_featured_image":false,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"wpai_generated_summary":"","footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":true,"token":"eyJpbWciOiJodHRwczpcL1wvaTAud3AuY29tXC9sYWtlbGFuZGdhemV0dGUuaW5mb1wvbmV3c1wvd3AtY29udGVudFwvdXBsb2Fkc1wvMjAyNVwvMDlcL1N3YW4tUm91bmR1cC1TV0FORkFUSEVSLndlYnA_Zml0PTEwMjQlMkM1MDEmc3NsPTEiLCJ0eHQiOiI0NXRoIEFOTlVBTCBTV0FOIFJPVU5VUCAmIzgyMTE7IE9DVC4gMjggJmFtcDsgMjkiLCJ0ZW1wbGF0ZSI6ImhpZ2h3YXkiLCJmb250IjoiIiwiYmxvZ19pZCI6MTYzMDQwNjYxfQ.F2QtrEwx13wDdeAaCqRo3POsC1twDuR6Opux2FZ_H3AMQ"},"version":2,"attached_media":[{"id":58096,"url":"http:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Swan-Roundup-SWANFATHER.webp","type":"image\/png"}]},"_wpas_customize_per_network":false},"categories":[7591],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-58095","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-city-of-lakeland"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/58095","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=58095"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/58095\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":58097,"href":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/58095\/revisions\/58097"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/58096"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=58095"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=58095"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=58095"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}