PETA Offer Comes After 2-Day-Old Birds Mysteriously Vanish From Lake Eola Park, Causing Mother to Bellow in Despair
For Immediate Release:
April 15, 2016
Contact:
Moira Colley 202-483-7382
Orlando, Fla. – On Tuesday morning, a ranger at Orlando’s Lake Eola Park heard a mother swan screaming in distress and discovered that her six babies had vanished. City Commissioner Patty Sheehan suspects that the baby swans—who were less than 48 hours old—were abducted, as it’s unlikely that a natural predator took all six. The mourning mother is displaying her grief over the devastating loss by continuing to visit her family’s empty nest, while city detectives are investigating the case—and reminding the public that stealing a swan is a felony offense in Florida.
Law-enforcement officials have yet to make any arrests in the case, which is why PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to abuse in any way”—is offering a reward of up to $5,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible for the crime.
“These gentle, delicate baby swans are less than a week old and may be in grave danger without their mother,” says PETA Senior Vice President Lisa Lange. “PETA is urging anyone with information about the babies’ whereabouts or their abductor’s identity to come forward immediately to save these missing birds from a gruesome fate.”
Anyone with information about this case is encouraged to contact the Orlando Police Department toll-free at 1-800-423-TIPS, and the baby swans can be dropped off at the city’s Eola House, “no questions asked.”
For more information, please visit PETA.org.
