NEWBERG, Ore. — A Newberg woman is hoping the public can help track down a black swan that was taken from her property.
“I haven’t really slept,” said Robin Birdsong. “I’m emotionally exhausted.”
Birdsong runs the Enchanted Farm. It is home to more than 120 animals.
“All rescued from abuse, slaughter, and neglect,” she said.
None of the animals is more precious than the black swan named Belladonna.
“She’s magical,” said Birdsong. “She’s enchanted.”
And now she is missing. Birdsong recalls waking up early Sunday morning to some loud noises.
“The dogs started barking like crazy and I heard the donkeys braying,” she said. “I heard Bella honking and making swan sounds.”
Birdsong raced outside in time to see a car peeling out of her driveway and speeding away. She noticed Belladonna’s feathers littering the ground and gate.
“At that point I realized she had been taken.”
Just to be sure, Birdsong searched her property. There was no sign of the swan. Birdsong called the sheriff’s office and posted about Belladonna’s disappearance on social media.
“I had several people right away say black swans are worth quite a bit of money,” she said. “On the black market or online they’re selling them for thousands of dollars.”
Birdsong finds peace in knowing whoever took Belladonna probably does not have plans to harm her.
“She has special needs,” she said. “She has a specific diet … she needs water.”
She needs the pond at the Enchanted Farm.
“I love her very much and I want her home.”
Anyone with information about the case should contact the Yamhill County Sheriff’s Office.