Whooper Swan "Yeoreum" Born at Everland Flies All the Way to Russia

Everland's Wild Release Project Bears Fruit
Yeoreum's 2,300 km Journey with Wild Flock Confirmed
Successful Migration to Primorsky Region of Russia
First Case of Natural Hatching and Migration from a Domestic Zoo
Return to Korea This Winter Could Aid Research and Ecological Restoration

For the first time in South Korea, a whooper swan that hatched naturally in a zoo has flown approximately 2,300 kilometers this spring to reach its summer habitat and breeding grounds in Russia.

A whooper swan named "Yeoreum" living in the Eulsukdo alternative habitat. Photo by Samsung C&T Corporation

On June 26, Samsung C&T Resort Division announced that a whooper swan named "Yeoreum," born at Everland, successfully migrated to the Primorsky region of Russia, flying together with a flock of wild swans.

Everland, in collaboration with the Nakdong Estuary Eco Center and the Avian Ecology Research Institute, has been conducting a wild release project for whooper swans, which are classified as Class II Endangered Wildlife by the Ministry of Environment and designated as Natural Monument No. 201-2.

Yeoreum, a whooper swan born at Everland in June 2023, was transferred to the Eulsukdo alternative habitat in Busan in October of the same year. There, it naturally learned feeding, flight skills, and social behaviors while mingling with wild whooper swans.

The research team has been conducting ecological studies by monitoring Yeoreum's activity levels and range using a GPS device attached to its back. Until this spring, Yeoreum was observed making attempts to travel distances of several dozen kilometers around the Eulsukdo Migratory Bird Park.

The route taken by "Yeoreum" migrating to Russia with a flock of wild swans. Photo by Samsung C&T Corporation

Finally, on April 30, Yeoreum departed from Eulsukdo Migratory Bird Park, traveled to North Hamgyong Province within a day, took a rest for about a month, and then arrived in the Primorsky region of Russia early in the morning on May 28, successfully completing its long journey of approximately 2,300 kilometers.

Jung Donghee, Director of Everland Zoo, stated, "If Yeoreum returns to South Korea this winter with a suitable mate, it would be even more meaningful in terms of whooper swan ecological research and the potential for restoring a natural ecosystem where humans and animals coexist."

Meanwhile, Yeoreum's parents, "Nalgae" and "Nakdong," are believed to be a pair born in 1995. In 1996, they were rescued by the Avian Protection Association near Paldang-ri, Namyangju, Gyeonggi Province, after suffering severe injuries. In particular, Nalgae suffered a serious gunshot wound to its right wing, which required partial amputation, leaving it unable to fly.

Since then, Everland has provided a habitat in the zoo so that the whooper swan pair could adapt to their new environment and live healthily. However, possibly due to past trauma, they were unable to successfully hatch offspring until they welcomed their late-born chick, Yeoreum, in June 2023. Considering that the average lifespan of a whooper swan is about 25 years, having a chick at nearly 100 in human years is a remarkable event.