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Three teens have been arrested after capturing a beloved mother swan and allegedly eating her on Memorial Day, leaving her four babies without a mother.
The swan, Fay, and her four babies were kidnapped from Manlius swan pond in Manlius, New York, on Saturday. They were last seen by a village employee who was tending to flowers in the area, Manlius Village Mayor Paul Whorrall said.
Eman Hussan, 18, of Syracuse was arrested in connection with Fay’s killing, along with a 16-year-old and a 17-year-old, Manlius police Sgt. Ken Hatter said.
Fortunately, the family did not include the Swan’s four babies, known as cygnets, as part of their meal. On Tuesday, Police said all four baby swans had been found, and are currently in the care of a biologist, who has raised Fay since 2007.
Hussan and the other teens have been charged with felony counts of grand larceny and mischief, as well as misdemeanor counts of conspiracy and criminal trespass.
Hussan can be seen smiling at reporters while handcuffed before being placed in the back of a police car
Faye, the famous resident of Manlius’ Swan Pond and mother of four baby swans, has been killed and eaten
Hussan can be seen smiling at reporters while handcuffed, before being placed in the back of a police car today.
In a press conference Wednesday morning, Manlius Police said the suspects hopped the fence in the middle of the night, captured Fay, held her down and killed her. The teens allegedly killed Fay at the pond and then brought her home to eat with family and friends.
Despite consuming the swan, the family and friends of the suspect told police they did not know it was a swan but thought it was a very large duck, and also were not aware that it was a wild animal.
The teens were not planning on eating the cygnets but told police they intended on raising them as pets.
Tips received after a press release helped police find two of the babies at a business in Shop City Plaza in the Town of Salina. After obtaining search warrants, police found the two other located at a home in the city of Syracuse.
Two of the suspects, one of which was an employee of Shop City Plaza, turned himself in.
The two juveniles were released to their parents on appearance tickets and Hussan was taken to centralized arraignment to await his arraignment. Hussan was released and set to appear in court on June 15 at 6:30 p.m.
The co-owner of Black Friday Bins at 139 Shop City Plaza said on Facebook Tuesday night that two of four stolen baby swans were in their store but the store thought the swans were ducks or geese.
Three workers at the store were fired after it was discovered they brought in two of the four stolen baby swans to the store, according to Syracuse.com.
Police said the teens ‘didn’t necessarily show remorse’ but probably regret doing what they did. The teens apparently did not know that the swan was considered a mascot of the village.
‘They did not have any idea of the significance the swans had on this community.’
The police said Hussan had a hunting license. As of now, police have no knowledge of any prior illegal activity. The suspects were not lacking in food but hunting as an activity, police said.
Eman Hussan, 18, of Syracuse was arrested in connection with the killing of the Manlius pond’s swan
Two juveniles, a 16-year-old from Syracuse and a 17-year-old from Syracuse, and 18-year-old Eman Hussan of Syracuse were arrested for killing and eating Fay, the town’s swan
The mayor said the biologist will take care of the cygnets for the next four weeks, because they are not ready to live on their own.
Manny will be removed from the pond, the mayor said, as there is a chance he can become combative after losing his mate. The town’s biologist will take care of Manny until they find another location for him.
‘Since swans mate forever, losing Faye might make Manny become combative so he will be removed from the pond,’ he said.
‘The four cygnets will grow up and hopefully two will mate and go back to what it used to be.’
Neighbors are mourning the loss of the iconic swan couple, known as the Manlius mascot, and placing memorials around the town.
The lineage of swans have been around for over 100 years and were originally donated to the village along with the pond in 1905.
The mayor said the town plans to continue the tradition of hosting swans.
The cygnets and father swan will be removed from the pond following the death of mother swan
Manny & Fay, the iconic swan couple have been Manlius mascots, capturing the hearts of the town and visitors of Manlius Pond
Some residents are pushing to end the tradition and have signed a petition online to stop the practice of hosting swans, citing another incident in the past that caused the death of a swan.
But the mayor said the swan is an emblem of the town and the majority of the town appreciates the beauty of them.
Another petition, ‘Justice For Faye’, is circulating online and calling for the harshest penalties for the suspects.
‘The highest charges possible need to be sought, who’s to say they wouldn’t do this to a human being if they did this to an innocent animal, that they had no right to go in take and then kill and eat,’ it reads.
To protect the swans and prevent such tragedies, the Mayor said he is installing cameras and coming up with a safety plan.
The town plans to have ‘eyes on the pond at all times,’ he said.
The investigation is ongoing and Manlius police are encouraging anyone with information or tips to call 315-682-8673.
