Katie the swan at White Rock Lake: Photo by Kelley Murphy

Katie the swan at White Rock Lake: Photo by Kelley Murphy

Sunset Bay’s swan, Katie, is in serious trouble, and one of White Rock Lake wildlife’s most important allies is too.

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Sunset Bay, near Winfrey Point, on the lake’s eastern shores, is the hotspot for waterfowl — geese, ducks and a gorgeous swan, called Katie by the humans who care vigorously for these animals.

Over the weekend, Katie met with an unfortunate injury that prompted the owner of a precious wildlife rehabilitation center to admit dire financial trouble. She and Katie both need the public’s help.

When people noticed that Katie looked ill, one picked her up and delivered her to the Rogers Wildlife Rehabilitation Center.

A couple years back, Advocate photographer Robert Bunch called on the center’s owner Kathy Rogers when he encountered a tangled injured bird. She came to the lake and rescued the bird — see a photo slideshow of the whole thing here.

Kathy Rogers after a White Rock Lake bird rescue: Photo by Robert Bunch

Kathy Rogers after a White Rock Lake bird rescue: Photo by Robert Bunch

Over the weekend, Rogers took Katie in and discovered she had an object the size of a baseball, probably a piece of plastic or trash, lodged in her throat. Rogers says Katie is very sick and still in need of expensive treatment.

The center has functioned for many years entirely on donations, but Rogers yesterday reached out to television media to let viewers know that if support does not increase, the center will close this spring.

Rogers told WFAA she has until April to raise $200,000, or she will no longer be able to rehabilitate the 5,000 plus broken birds brought annually into her center.

“I put it off as long as I could, because that’s something that haunts me every day,” she told WFAA.

Donate via the website. You can also donate items used by the organization such as bird seed, syringes, batteries

You can stay in touch with the Sunset Bay waterfowl community on Facebook at Facebook/Wilbur.Goose.

Below: moment of zen with the birds of Sunset Bay.