In 1962, five pet mute swans escaped in Maryland; within four decades their descendants neared 4,000 and were eating 10.5 million pounds of Chesapeake Bay grasses a year
The exotic mute swan has increased its population size in Chesapeake Bay to approximately 4,500 since 1962. In 1962, five mute swans escaped from an estate in Talbot County, Maryland. More than four decades later, their descendants had grown to nearly 4,000 in the Chesapeake Bay region. As their numbers rose across the Chesapeake Bay…