Andy Simmons

在一次徒步旅行中，本文的主人公發现一只极美的天鹅，但是这只天鹅不能发出声音。

When Ariel Cordova-Rojas rode her bike to Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge in Queens， New York， last November， she planned to go hiking and bird-watching. Bingo！ A mile into her walk， she spotted a female mute （缄默的）swan near the water's edge. Cordova-Rojas， 30， who had worked at the Wild Bird Fund rehabilitation center in Manhattan， knew that mute swans can be aggressive. But as she approached this one， it didn't move.

She was certain that the bird needed medical attention. Cordova-Rojas put her jacket over the bird's head to keep it calm， cautiously picked it up， and held it in her arms. And then a thought struck her： What should I do now？

Her best choice was the rehab center （康复 中心），but that was across the East River and clear on the other side of town. How was she going to transport a 17-pound swan on her bike all that way？ Luckily， some confused strangers driving by offered her， her bike， and the swan a lift to a nearby subway station.

On the subway， no one seemed particularly shocked by the feathered passenger. “One guy，"said Cordova-Rojas， “was sitting right in front of me on his phone. I don't know if he noticed

Rojas called the rehab center， and Tristan， an animal-care manager， picked her up at the subway station and drove the bird， the bike， and the rescuer to the facility. There， staff members determined that the swan might have lead poisoning， caused by taking food used on fishing lines. The staff got the swan back up on her feet. She even made a boyfriend at the center一 another injured swan. Sadly， even with all that TLC， the swan got a bacterial infection. Two months after Cordova-Rojas came to her rescue， she passed away.

It's a disappointing ending， but the real story is just how far some people are willing to go to save a swan in the big city. In all， Cordova- Rojas traveled two hours by foot， car， and subway （while taking her bike）. Tristan said， That's the perfect summary of who she is."