Petition Circulating To Remove The Swans At Popular Manlius NY Swan Pond
Manlius is a village in Central New York just east of Syracuse and northwest of Cazenovia. It's the home of a popular Swan pond. It even has a Facebook page. Swans have been a part of the community for over 100 years.
According to USA Today, over the Memorial Day weekend, three local teenagers stole four baby swans along with the mother. The mother swan (named Faye by local residents) was consumed, but fortunately the four baby swans were eventually rescued.
USA Today reports that the swans went missing on Saturday May 27th, but officials were not notified until Monday May 29th. Two of the baby swans were located in a Salina store and the other two were found in one of the suspects home.
Two of the teens under the age of 17 were arrested and released to their parents, but the third teen who is18, was awaiting arraignment. A sad and disturbing incident to be sure.
This incident drew attention not only from the Greater Syracuse area, but around the country and world. Change.org has now weighed in on the situation with a petition "...to demand the closure of the Manlius swan pond and the relocation of Manny, Faye's mate, to a sanctuary where he can live the rest of his days without harm."
Change.org notes that Faye and Manny arrived at the Swan Pond in Manlius in 2010 and bonded together. The petition states that swans mate for life, and that this separation can inflict immense emotional and psychological distress on the remaining swan.