Animals are very unique and each species has its own way of expressing grief after the loss of its young. A swan at Manchester Park in England died shortly after a bunch of teenagers threw bricks at her eggs, destroying them and sending her mate away. The teenagers were seen in May throwing rocks and bricks in Manchester Canal in Bolton, England where swans had laid their eggs and the eggs were in the incubation process. There were six eggs and 3 of them were found to have been smashed with bricks, two did not survive and one unborn was left remaining and brought to a wildlife rescue center. The teenagers were not the only ones to harass the swans. Unfortunately, the swans were constantly harassed by dogs, ducks, and moorhen.
A wildlife activist found the swan collapsed in her nest deceased. Swans that get separated from their young or mate get stressed and cannot survive alone. Swans are emotional animals and love their partners very deeply. They often stay together for life and are very loyal to one another. The only time they change mates is if there is a bad breeding season or nest failure. It sometimes takes 1-2 seasons for the birds to match to another swan again. Swans are famous for raising their cygnets together and try to maximize the number of cygnets they have. Swans are very defensive when it comes to protecting their young and will attack if they feel threatened however, swans are not strong enough to hurt a human or break our arms.
The mate in this incident went away due to stress resulting in the other swan to get depressed. Unfortunately, the male swan has not returned after two weeks and if a swan senses stress, they will not return. If her swan mate had stayed with her after these events, she may have survived. The activist was upset as he was following the swan’s progress for 12 weeks. Since swans are usually mates for life, it is not uncommon for them to die from a broken heart. The incident has been shared over 1,700 times on Facebook to try and catch the teenagers. Wildlife activists continue to monitor the nest and see if the male swan returns, although his returning is slim. Activists also report this is not the first incident when swan eggs have been lost, there have been many incidents where individuals damage a swan’s eggs such as a recent runner kicking the eggs and killing the cygnets. The authorities continue to investigate the case specifically The Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. They are seeking the perpetrators that caused the abuse of these beautiful birds and if they are caught they will be convicted.
