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When Ariel Cordova-Rojas rode her bike to Jamaicia 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 beautiful female mute swan (疣鼻天鹅) near the water’s edge. Cordova-Rojas, 30, who had worked at the Wild Bird Fund recovery center in Manhattan, knew that mute swans can be battle some. But as she approached this one, it didn’t move. She was certain that the bird needed medical attention. Cordova-Rojas placed her jacket over the bird’s head to keep it calm, carefully picked it up, and held it in her arms. And then a thought struck her: What do I do now?

Her best bet was the recovery center, 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 strangers driving by offered her, her bike, and the swan a lift to a nearby subway station. She worried others might be disturbed. However, on the subway, no one seemed particularly fazed by the feathered passenger. One guy, says Cordova-Rojas, was “sitting right in front of me on his phone. I don’t know if he noticed there was a swan in front of him”.

Cordova-Rojas called the recovery center, and Tristan Higgin-botham, an animal-care manager, picked her up at the subway station and drove bird, bike, and the rescuer to the facility. There, staff members determined that the swan might have lead poisoning.

The staff got the swan back up on her feet. She even made a boyfriend at the center — another injured swan. Sadly, even with all that tender loving care, the swan fell ill with a bacterial infection. Two months after Cordova-Roias 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-literally. In all, Cordova-Rojas traveled two hours by foot, car, and subway (with her bike). “That’s the perfect summary of who she is,” says Higginbotham.