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NY Swans May Live to Fight Another Day


March 3, 2014 | Andy Cush

Good news for New York’s mute swans, which are currently under threat of total eradication by the state’s Department of Environmental Conservation: the DEC will consider managing the birds in a way that doesn’t involve hunting down and killing every last one of them.

The DEC originally proposed the plan because mute swans are an invasive species in New York and can cause habitat damage for other birds. After receiving 30,000 petition signatures and 16,000 letters asking that the swans not be killed, however, it will draft a new proposal.

“We appreciate the strong response that the draft plan received,” said DEC commissioner Joe Martens. “The revised plan will seek to balance the conflicting views about management of mute swans in New York.”

(Photo: @Thomas Quine)