Teenagers Arrested for Allegedly Kidnapping a Local Swan That Was Later Cooked and Eaten
A trio of teenagers in upstate New York have been arrested after they allegedly kidnapped a family of local swans and gave the mother to a family member to cook and eat.
As CBS News reports, police in Manlius, NY arrested the three teenagers—ages 18, 17, and 16 from Syracuse, NY—this week after they allegedly killed a female swan named Faye in a nearby pond and kidnapped her four babies (called cygnets) around 3 a.m. on Saturday, May 27.
"The swan was killed at the pond, and subsequently consumed by family and friends," said Kenneth L. Hatter of the Manlius Police Department's community support unit to CBS News. "This was not done because the family was lacking food. It was done because they wanted to hunt what they thought was a large duck."
Authorities say the mother swan was given to one of the teen's aunts, who cooked and ate it.
Two of the cygnets were found at a shopping plaza in Salina, NY, where one of the teens worked, while the other two were rescued from a home in Syracuse. All four are now being cared for by a local biologist.
The teens were arrested on charges including grand larceny and criminal mischief, The Associated Press reports. Although swan hunting is legal in several states, New York is not one of them. Manlius, NY, is known for its swans, with the animal adorning local merchandise as well as the town's website.
