London, Jan 25 (ANI): Experts at Slimbridge wetland recently witnessed a rare divorce between a pair of swans.

Bewick’s swans are believed to be the birds that mate for life.

However, experts at Gloucestershire wildfowl sanctuary were stunned to discover that a pair of Bewick’s swans returned to winter at the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust centre at Slimbridge - with new partners.

Normally, these birds tend to find new partner only when one of the pair has died.

The staff has described the new couplings as “bizarre”.

Over the past four decades, 4,000 pairs of Bewick’s swans have been studied at Slimbridge, with only one previous couple moving on to find new partners.

The first suspicions of the rare event were raised when male swan Sarindi turned up in the annual migration from Arctic Russia without his partner of two years Saruni and with a new female - newly-named Sarind - in tow, reports BBC News.

The pair’s arrival led conservationists to fear the worst for Saruni.

But shortly afterwards Saruni arrived at the wetlands site - also with a new mate, Surune.

As the experts observed, they found that the old relationship had ended.

Julia Newth, wildlife health research officer at Slimbridge, said the old pair had not acknowledged each other with any signs of recognition or greeting - even when they were together in a small lake.

“Failure to breed could be a possible reason, as they had been together for a couple of years but had never brought back a cygnet, but it is difficult to say for sure,” she said. (ANI)