A number of swans rescued in February and currently housed at the Wings Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre, are nearly ready to be released.
"These guys came in with ice cubes the size of my head attached to them," says the centre's Nancy Phillips. "They were frozen in ice. They used all their fat for food supply. They had nothing left."
The swans were too tired to even chew so they were put on a soft food diet. They've gained strength since their rescue and are ready to be released back into the wild on Thursday.
The Essex County animal rehab has been overwhelmed with wildlife this year as the the long, cold winter made it difficult for many to survive.
But now they are getting ready for the spring season and baby animals that need help.
In the next three to four months, Wings will bring in three-quarters of its intake for the year, which is about 2,500 animals and most of them orphaned babies.
The centre relies on donations to be sustainable. During the busy winter, the public did come through.
We saw the public stand up for us and say, 'We care,'" Phillips says.
