Pool noodle barrier may return to protect Queanbeyan cygnets
Cygnets on Queanbeyan River prompt debate over reinstalling a pool noodle barrier that protected an earlier brood.
In 2021, Wildcare Queanbeyan volunteers invented a simple solution to a deadly problem: pool noodles strung together with wire to keep cygnets away from the Queanbeyan River weir, which had swept them away.
Now fresh cygnets have arrived, and the group is deciding whether to put the barrier back. The noodles sit ready in storage, but coordinator Maryanne Gates said reinstalling it is "tricky".
The group needs approval from Queanbeyan Council and the SES to help install it. Some community members have raised concerns about the noodles contaminating the water.
Gates said they're monitoring the new cygnets to see if they're at risk before deciding to act. If the birds stay away from the dangerous spot, the barrier may not be needed this year.
- 2021
- First installation year
- Wildcare Queanbeyan
- Group
- Maryanne Gates
- Coordinator
- Pool noodles and stainless steel wire
- Barrier material
Why it mattersThe pool noodles could save young swans from a fatal drop, but only if the group can navigate local permissions and public concern in time.
AustraliaA Queanbeyan community group's innovative wildlife rescue tool may be deployed again to protect iconic river cygnets from a local hazard.
✓ Claims checked against the source and corrected before publish. checked 3 h ago
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