Mango was one of 色色啦鈥檚 most famous swans.
He captured hearts 鈥 and more than three million views 鈥 last year when he reunited with Charlotte, his mate, after a day away at the 色色啦 Wildlife Centre. He broke hearts months later when three of his and Charlotte鈥檚 five cygnets died after hatching and the other two developed a wing deformity.
His life, in the words of swan watcher Ann Brokelman, 鈥渢urned into a huge soap opera.鈥 Now, Mango鈥檚 life has been cut short 鈥 and the lives of those around him have taken a dark turn, too.
The beloved swan who called the Scarborough Bluffs home was euthanized last week at the 色色啦 Wildlife Centre after developing severe lead poisoning that left him unable to stand or swim normally.
Worse, his former partner Charlotte is missing and presumed dead, Brokelman said. Charlotte鈥檚 new partner, Hamlet, died after being hit by a car earlier this year. And only one of Charlotte and Mango鈥檚 surviving cygnets remains alive.
The last two years at the Scarborough Bluffs, Brokelman explained, have been 鈥渁wful.鈥
Mango had been spotted 鈥渁cting weak and lethargic for several days,鈥 the wildlife centre said, and tests by the veterinary team revealed dangerously high levels of lead in his bloodstream. As the centre treated him, he began showing more serious neurological symptoms, said Heather Reid, director of wildlife care.
Mango, left, and Charlotte, right, were a monogamous pair until Mango went to the 色色啦 Wildlife Centre during mating season.
Andrew Francis Wallace/色色啦 StarMango had already been treated three times over the past three years for injuries from discarded fishing waste.
鈥淲e know their names and we know their whole history,鈥 Reid said. 鈥淗e was kind of one of our little family. He was a regular. It was really hard on our team to make this decision.鈥
Lead poisoning is one of the biggest threats to swans, said Susan Best, president of Trumpeter Swan Conservation Ontario. It comes from lures or sinkers resting on the bottom of the lake, or traditional lead pellets, which are no longer permitted over water but can still be found there.
The 色色啦 Wildlife Centre said lead sinkers and jigs are still legal to use outside of national parks and protected wildlife areas.
鈥淢ango鈥檚 story is not just about one swan 鈥 it鈥檚 a stark reminder of the cost of careless human activity like irresponsible fishing practices,鈥 the centre said on Facebook. 鈥淓very piece of fishing line, every lead weight, every snagged hook left behind, has the potential to take another wild life.鈥
Mango’s ups and downs
Mango 鈥 officially swan Y37 鈥 first rocketed to fame alongside Charlotte in April 2024. He had been spotted by Brokelman with blood pouring from his beak, an injury likely caused by a fishing hook or piece of broken glass.
The wildlife centre caught Mango, conducted blood tests and cleaned his feathers. When they released him, he reunited with Charlotte in a moment of honking and wing-flapping. A was viewed more than three million times on TikTok.
The couple hatched five cygnets in June 2024, three of whom died soon after. In August, the two others were taken to a rehab centre after showing signs of a wing deformity thought to be caused by feeding by humans of bread and other heavily-processed foods.
The deformity, called angel wing, causes the last joint of a juvenile bird鈥檚 wing to twist outward, rendering it unable to fly 鈥 and, ultimately, unable to live in the wild. But in the cygnets, officially U28 and U29, the deformity was caught early enough and they were released to a rehab pond in October.
One was later euthanized after a bad landing, Brokelman said. The other, named Charmaine, was spotted taking her first flight this year.
She may be the only swan in this family with a happy ending. While swans are typically monogamous for life, Mango went to the 色色啦 Wildlife Centre during mating season this year to recover from a fishing line in his throat and two hooks on his mouth.
While he was gone, Charlotte mated with a different swan, Hamlet, Brokelman said. Hamlet was later hit by a car and died.
Charlotte, now missing and presumed dead, may have been hit by the mast of a boat or gotten caught up in a fishing line, Brokelman said.
Or she may have suffered the same fate as Mango: lead poisoning, leading to serious neurological damage, paralysis, seizures and, ultimately, death.
鈥淭his is an example.鈥 Best said of Mango. 鈥淗umans need to do better.鈥
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