Manlius (WSYR-TV) -- Manlius Police say there has been an overwhelming response to news that someone destroyed all the swan eggs at the village’s iconic Swan Pond over the weekend.
Investigators say they’re following up on some decent leads in the case, while the reward has been upped to $13,000 for information leading to an arrest and conviction in the case.
The mayor is also working on a reward from the village to help find whoever destroyed the swans' eggs.
“They know their job is to reproduce. They can’t spend a lot of time mourning over this and they have to move on. The season is ticking. We’re in the middle of breeding season, so it’s soon enough that they will produce another clutch,” explained Mike Bean, who donated the swans to the village.
Swans "Manny" and "Faye" have moved locations, from one end of the pond to the other, slowly gathering pieces of what will be their new nest. At the same time, the village is building an island in the pond to all but eliminate the chances of someone destroying any more eggs.
When the island is done, Manny and Faye’s nest will be moved there. Bean says as horrible as the destruction of the eggs is, he sees this all ending on a positive note.
“I think it’s gotten a lot more people involved and there will be a second clutch produced and there will be a bunch of cygnets hopefully produced and there will be more people following them and seeing what's happening in the Village of Manlius,” Bean said.
The village will be adding some mud and leaves on the island – both to make Faye feel more comfortable there and to make it blend in, so it doesn’t stick out in the middle of the pond.
There’s a strong belief that putting the island in the middle of the water will keep most people from even attempting to go after the eggs. There’s also going to be a lot more attention focused on the pond. There’s even talk of volunteer watch groups.
If you know who’s responsible or have any information that might help police in this case, call them at 682-2212.
