Provided by the town of Manliers, New York, USA
The American broadcasters ABC and CBS reported on the 31st (local time) that a swan, which was considered a specialty in a New York town, was being eaten by teenagers.
According to reports, the village of Manliers in Onondaco County sent an adorable female swan ‘Fay’ on the 27th.
Three teenagers, 18, 17, and 16 years old from Syracuse, New York, caught Fay in a pond around 3 am at the time, killed him, took him home, and ate him with relatives.
Fay has been living in Manliers for over 10 years and is the town’s mascot, with a male ‘Manny’, and Fay and Manny gave birth to a baby swan every spring, bringing joy to the residents.
Swans have been living in this village for a long time, and are so symbolic that they are depicted on the town’s logo and on T-shirts and hats.
“They didn’t do it because they lacked food,” said Manliers Police. “They thought Fay was a duck and wanted to hunt them.”
Swan hunting is legal in some states, but not in New York, ABC reported.
The teenagers also took four of Fay’s cubs at the time, but did not eat them. The authorities said they have found all four baby swans scattered throughout the village safe.
Experts are now looking after these little swans.
Faye’s partner Manny is also unharmed. However, the male swan can become ferocious if it loses its mate, so it cannot return to its original pond, said the mayor. Manny, like the pups, will receive specialist care before being moved to another habitat.
On the 30th, the local police arrested the three teenagers on a charge of theft. Two of the minors have been handed over to their parents, and the 18-year-old is awaiting legal proceedings.
The police explained that the teenagers did not seem to know what Fay meant to the town. However, he added that they showed no remorse.
