Two swans had to temporarily move out of their regular digs at the Palace of Fine Arts and into the San Francisco Zoo because one of them is not feeling well.
City officials told KCBS Radio they hope the swans will be back home soon.
Swans have lived alongside the ducks and other water birds at the Palace of Fine Arts since it opened more century ago.
"Some of them have had a harder time of it," Tamara Barak Aparton with the city’s Recreation and Park Department said. "One of them was kidnapped at one point. One of them was killed at one point."
But Aparton said that two swans, known as Blanche and Blue Boy, who currently call the Palace home, have been there for more than a decade and everything was fine until Blanche became ill late last month.
"She was exhibiting some signs of weakness," Aparton said. "It took her longer to get up. She was sitting much of the time."
So, Blanche was taken to the San Francisco Zoo for tests, at first without Blue Boy. However, he joined her there as a precaution this week.
Aparton said it’s unclear how long the birds will have to stay there for.
"The testing will probably take a couple of weeks, so we don’t expect them back super soon," she noted. "They’ll likely be spending Valentine’s Day together at the zoo." The swans have quite a following among people who spend time at the Palace of Fine Arts.
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