A black swan nicknamed “Mr Terminator” has been removed from Stratford-Upon-Avon after repeatedly attacking the town’s famous population of mute swans.
The bird had become a local attraction since appearing on the River Avon about nine months ago. Swan warden Cyril Bennis, who has volunteered in Stratford for 45 years, told The Independent that residents were initially thrilled by the arrival of a rare black swan, calling it “so regal in many respects.” Visitors from across the region came to see him, and Bennis said the bird “became more popular than William Shakespeare himself.”
However, the excitement soon turned to concern when Mr Terminator began showing aggression toward the town’s roughly 60 resident mute swans. According to Bennis, the bird started “muscling in on a pair of our residents with a young cygnet,” even trying to drown rivals in territorial disputes. The behavior led to fears of injury or cross-breeding with the protected local swans.
“Mr Terminator” evicted from Startford-Upon-Avon
Bennis said he faced a difficult decision: “I was going to be damned if I did and damned if I didn’t,” but eventually decided the black swan “needed to move on.” Capturing the bird was no easy task—he described still having a “sore chest” from the effort—but Mr Terminator was safely contained and will be relocated to the Dawlish Waterfowl Centre in Devon.
With the black swan removed, Bennis said the river has returned to calm. “Today the river is quiet and [the mute swans] are just relaxing. It’s like a play out of Shakespeare—things are calm and just settling down.”
Black swans are native to Australia and are rarely seen in the UK, where mute swans have long been a symbol of Stratford-Upon-Avon.
Asahi riparte dopo l'attacco informatico: torna la birra nei supermercati!