The City of Lakeland Parks Division will be on Lake Morton at 7:00 a.m. on Tuesday, October 8, 2024, for the 44th Annual Swan Roundup. Parks, Recreation & Cultural Arts employees will be carefully gathering the swans by boat to get them ready for their annual veterinary check-up. The swans will be confined in large holding pens on the south side of the lake for their annual wellness examinations with My Pet’s Animal Hospital that will start the morning of October 9, 2024, at 8:00 a.m. The Annual Swan Round-Up allows the City’s Parks, Recreation & Cultural Arts Department to closely monitor the health and vitality of Lakeland’s swan population.

The original swans on Lake Morton were donated by Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom in 1957. As Lakeland’s swan flock grew, it became paramount to give the regal birds an annual health check, so the Swan Roundup began in 1980 and has continued every year since then. The swans were first cared for by veterinarian (emeritus) and original Swanvet W.G. Gardner. Dr. Patricia Mattson oversaw the birds for several years and now My Pet’s Animal Hospital contributes their expertise in caring for Lakeland’s swan flock. It is important to know that My Pet’s Animal Hospital gives back to the community by donating their veterinary services year-round as today’s official Swanvet for the City of Lakeland.