After a few unsuccessful attempts to escape Iowa State, Lancelot and Elaine are finally getting their wish.

On Monday morning, the two mute swans that reside in Lake LaVerne will be taken back to their previous home in Webster City, which is owned by Gene Barrick.

“The goal was to try and let the swans stay all winter because of the new aerator system in Lake LaVerne. Now we just don’t think they are going to work out,” said Lisa Orgler, landscape architect at ISU.

Typically the swans go back to Barrick’s ranch and return to ISU in the spring, but this year Lancelot and Elaine will not be returning.

Orgler said the university hopes to gain a male and a female next spring from the same ranch, ones that will be better behaved.

Dennis Erickson, manager of Campus Services, said Lancelot and Elaine have been spotted on central campus, by the Campanile, near Pearson Hall, Curtiss Hall and Hamilton Hall since their arrival. The two even took a stroll near Elwood Drive.

There are many theories about why the swans have been wandering.

“One of them may be a wanderer and the other a follower. It could also be a migration thing,” Orgler said.

Orgler also said the two mute swans might be in search of their counterparts, as they are both males.

“We do not want them to be hurt. They are very docile animals and not very aggressive at all,” Erickson said. “They were probably looking for food.”

Brenda Van Beek, adviser to the Trumpeter Swan Restoration Committee, dealt with the last pair of swans and not the current residents of Lake LaVerne. However, she still cares about the current couple.

“The concern is the general safety of the swans as they wander away from the lake,” Van Beek said.

Aside from the threat of harm to the swans, it’s also a hassle for university officials who have to chase them down.

“They made it across Lincoln Way and as far as Squaw Creek,” Orgler said. “We had to call staff in on the weekend to search for them and get them back to Lake LaVerne.”

The two mute swans came to their new home on Oct. 26 to replace the old Lancelot and Elaine. The new Lancelot and Elaine were supposed to stay water-bound and be gentle and quiet.

Lancelot and Elaine will be departing Lake LaVerne for Webster City Monday at 9 a.m.