Staff at a rescue center were puzzled when a lone black swan laid six eggs that were fertilized.
When Guinevere, nicknamed “Ginny,” arrived at the Carolina Waterfowl Rescue (CWR) habitat in Indian Trail, North Carolina, she had come from a bad situation. Rescuers traveled far to save the black swan from a lonely and perilous life.
At CWR, Ginny’s future looked bright with plenty of food, safe shelter, and other swans for companionship. However, things didn’t go as planned for Ginny. She was chased away from socializing with the other swans and soon became a lonely outcast.
So staff created private quarters for Ginny in the barn’s aviary; at least this gave the bird some peace of mind away from the others.
Then Ginny began to prepare a nest for herself and promptly laid an egg.
Ginny didn’t stop at one egg—she laid five more.
Soon, staff were at a loss for words when they discovered the eggs had been fertilized. Breeding is not allowed, but for Ginny they decided to make an exception.
“It seems she finally had a purpose and something to keep her happy,” CWR shared.
CWR arranged for a livecam on their Facebook page so those interested could watch the eggs hatch. Ginny’s little family of six cygnets arrived in early February and was viewed by millions.
Only one mystery remained: “Who is the father?”
Staff at CWR suspect it is another black swan named Diablo, who already has a mated partner. If this is true, poor Ginny will be a single mother, which may not be a problem for her.
She has six beautiful cygnets to tend to and keep her company; it’s sure to make a difference in her life.
