The white feathers and long-necked swans at Lake Eola are easy to spot. Unfortunately, one individual decided to kill a young swan that had only been released into the park a week ago.
“This is heartbreaking. She described the person as plainly mentally sick.
According to Sheehan, the attack happened at 12:30 p.m. on Friday, when a transient man walked up to the young mute swan and wrenched its neck. She claimed that the man was apprehended while still carrying the deceased body.
“We hope that visitors will visit the magnificent Lake Eola Park to enjoy our animals, particularly the swans. But there are, sadly, people with mental illnesses or problems, and this guy chose to take it out on a poor, innocent animal, which is awful,” Sheehan stated.
OPD said that the individual, who cannot be identified due to a probable mental disorder, has been charged with third-degree grand theft and animal cruelty.
Swans at Lake Eola have been in danger from people before.
In 2021, a man was jailed after being videotaped stealing two newborn swans from their nest.
“One of the reasons we have the feeding and vaccination programs is so that swans can grow large enough to protect themselves.” “If you ever try to pick one up, they can be very scrappy,” Sheehan noted.
She said that various security precautions are in place around the lake, including cameras and park rangers who watch the swans.
“Most of our swans are out on the lake. They are protected. In this case, it was because it was a juvenile. “It didn’t have that protective mode yet because we had just released them,” Sheehan explained.
The man’s bond was set at $7,000.
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